Irish Government backs statutory abortion leave

Shared from original article in The Catholic Herald 

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The Irish cabinet has approved a bill granting statutory leave for abortion before 12 weeks, which is the current legal limit in Ireland. The bill will now pass through the Dáil and Seanad, drawing criticism from pro-life groups.

The legislation will also grant paid leave to women who experience miscarriage before 23 weeks, who previously had no access to such provisions.

Sandra Parda of the Life Institute objected to the government grouping abortion and miscarriage, calling it “inaccurate and dishonest” and “insulting to women”.

She said: "The aim of the Government in including abortion in the new law is simply to persist in its efforts to normalise abortion. But they are being grossly dishonest. Abortion is the deliberate taking of a human life. The baby is deliberately killed.”

Parda claimed the Government was contradicting itself by “saying that same child needs to be grieved”.

"The measure is insulting to women – who know the difference between abortion and miscarriage. The State is increasingly setting itself up to promote abortion, which is very different from the tragedy of miscarriage,” she said.

Women who suffer miscarriage before 23 weeks will be provided payment if they have been in post for at least 13 weeks, and entitlement to unpaid leave will be provided from the first day of employment.

The legislation was led by Sinn Féin Senator Nicole Ryan, who said the move represented a “recognition that pregnancy loss is not simply a medical event but a deeply personal and emotional experience.” Ryan has previously spoken publicly about her experience of miscarriage.

“This legislation will not take away the grief or the heartbreak of losing a baby, but it will give women the choice to take time away from work if they need it, without the immediate worry of financial hardship,” she said.

Recent Department of Health data showed that one in six pregnancies in Ireland now end in abortion. There were 10,600 abortions in 2025 – an increase from 2,879 in 2018.

Last month, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference criticised a Sinn Féin bill to remove the three-day mandatory waiting period before an abortion, which was carried in the Dáil by 86 votes to 70.

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