TDs vote in favor of abolishing Ireland's three-day wait for abortion services

A Bill introduced by Sinn Féin proposing that the mandatory three-day wait to access abortion services during early pregnancy be abolished was passed 86-70 in the Dáil on June 17.

The vote was a 'free vote,' meaning TDs did not have to vote along party lines.

Among those who voted in favor of the proposed legislation were Taoiseach and head of Fianna Fáil Micheál Martin, Tánaiste and head of Fine Gael Simon Harris, and Ireland's Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. 

Despite Martin and Harris both voting in favor of the bill, a majority of each of their parties voted against it.

Also voting against the Bill were Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, Minister for Children Norma Foley, and Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary.

There were no absentations, though Minister for Higher Education James Lawless, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee, Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton, and Minister for the Arts Patrick O’Donovan were not present for the vote.

The private member's Bill will now proceed to the Committee Stage for further consideration and potential amendments. If approved there, it will return to the Dáil for report and final stages before moving to the Seanad, where it will go through a similar legislative process. If approved in both the Dáil and the Seanad, the Bill will be sent to President Catherine Connolly to be signed into law.

According to RTÉ News, it is understood that Minister Carroll MacNeill will hold discussions with Attorney General Rossa Fanning, and the Bill could become law by the end of the year.

Abortion legislation in Ireland

In 1983, the Eighth Amendment, which provided for "the equal right to life of the pregnant woman and the unborn," was added to the Irish Constitution, effectively placing a near-total ban on abortion.

A referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment succeeded overwhelmingly - 66.4% to 33.6% - in May 2018. That December, the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was signed into law, governing abortion access.

According to Ireland's Department of Health, the legislation permits terminations to be carried out up to 12 weeks of pregnancy or where there is a risk to the life, or of serious harm to the health, of the pregnant woman; or where there is a risk to the life, or of serious harm to the health, of the pregnant woman in an emergency; or where there is a condition present which is likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before or within 28 days of birth.

The legislation also dictates that, for terminations up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, a three-day period must elapse between the medical practitioner certifying that the pregnancy has not exceeded 12 weeks and the termination being carried out.

A 2023 independent review of Ireland's abortion legislation described the mandatory three-day wait period as "contentious," noting that it "imposes logistical and financial burdens on women, particularly those living in rural areas." The review added that the World Health Organization and the UN Refugee Agency recommend against mandatory waiting periods.

10,852 terminations were notified to Ireland's Department of Health in 2024. The vast majority of those - 10,711 - were early pregnancy terminations. Data for 2025 has yet to be published.

TD Mary Lou McDonald, the President of Sinn Féin, said that the passage of the Bill this week is "an important step forward for women’s healthcare and one of the most significant changes since we voted to repeal the 8th amendment."

"Women, healthcare providers, and campaigners have long called for this unnecessary barrier to be removed," McDonald said.

"I welcome the passage of this legislation today and the positive difference it will make to women accessing care."