Abortion access in Ireland: 7 years on from Repeal

Ireland voted to legalise abortion in 2018, but seven years on from the Repeal vote, hundreds of people are still being forced to travel to England for abortions.

What was the Repeal vote?

Repeal was a monumental victory for reproductive justice, and an incredible example of people power, community organising and real, grassroots change. As well as changing the law – the movement changed attitudes for millions of people, combatting stigma and normalising abortion.

On 25 May 2018, Ireland held a referendum on the repeal of the 8^th amendment of the Constitution (which imposed an abortion ban). The repeal amendment passed with 66.4% of the vote, which allowed the Irish government to legislate for abortion provision. On 1 January 2019, legislation was introduced which allowed for abortions to be provided in the Republic of Ireland.

Is abortion legal in Ireland now?

Abortion is available in Ireland by request up to 11 weeks 6 days gestation, and later than this in certain circumstances. This is a huge improvement, and many people can get an abortion in Ireland now.

However, this does not mean abortion is fully accessible in Ireland. Many people are forced to travel to other countries for care.

How many people travel from Ireland for an abortion?

A 2025 study showed that every year around 240 people have to travel for an abortion in another European country.

Abortion Support Network supports 90-100 people every year to travel from Ireland to England and other countries to get an abortion.

Since Repeal we have heard from more than 1,200 people who needed help to access an abortion, and funded almost 500 people who needed financial support to travel for care

Why do Irish people still have to travel for abortions?

Gestational limit. Many people don’t find out they are pregnant until beyond the Irish 12 week limit.
Mandatory waiting time. There is a mandatory, medically unnecessary 3-day waiting period between officially being told you are pregnant and having an abortion. We have been contacted by many people over the last 6 years who were within 3 days of the legal limit, meaning the waiting limit pushed them over the limit for care.
Patchy provision. It is also fairly common for people to be pushed over the 12-week limit by patchy abortion provision in Ireland: a lack of available appointments, delays waiting for scans, or conscientious objection from medical providers.
Social pressure. We have also seen an increase in people wanting to access abortions, but facing pressure from family and community to continue the pregnancy.
‘Crisis pregnancy centres’. Many people are delayed from accessing care by rogue ‘crisis pregnancy centres’, who aim to divert people from accessing abortions by scaremongering and sharing misinformation about abortion.
Lack of provision for foetal anomaly. Abortion is available beyond 12 weeks in some cases of fatal foetal anomaly. In these cases, 2 doctors must certify that continuing a pregnancy is likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before or within 28 days of birth. These strict rules mean that many people with wanted pregnancies – including IVF pregnancies – are forced to travel to England to terminate when they receive a diagnosis that is serious, or fatal – but “not fatal enough” to meet the criteria in Ireland.

Can I get an abortion in Ireland?

For information about accessing an abortion in Ireland, please call the My Options freephone 24/7 helpline on 1800 828 010. There’s also information available on the  My Options website, and from the  Irish Family Planning Association.

If you find you are not able to access an abortion in Ireland, we are here to help you. Abortion Support Network may be able to offer:

Clinic recommendations
Information about the least expensive way to arrance your travel and procedure
Funding
Help finding accommodation

Contact ASN about travelling for an abortion.

Do you want to help Irish people access abortions?

If you’re pro-choice and want to support full access to abortion care in Ireland, here’s how you can help.

We wish we didn’t have to exist, and that everyone could access the care they needed with no barriers. But right now, that’s not the case. While these laws are in place, we will do what we can to ease the financial burden on ordinary people who are facing these costs alone.

Figures suggest that ASN funds around half of all the people who travel from Ireland to England for an abortion. Travelling and paying privately for an abortion in England can be very expensive, with costs ranging from £300-£3,000+. ASN is a small charity, and we rely on donations from members of the public to support our clients. If you can donate, your support of any amount, in any currency, will be gratefully received.

Other ways to help

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Get in touch if you want to get involved to support our work, including if you want to fundraise for ASN

Talk about abortion access in your community, and with friends and family. Abortion stigma enables barriers to access to stand unchallenged – only by speaking freely about abortions and our right to access them can we work to make changes.