A Bill that would have scrapped the mandatory three-day waiting period after an initial consultation for an abortion in Ireland has suffered a resounding defeat in the Dáil (Irish Parliament).
The Reproductive Rights (Amendment) Bill 2026, which would also have allowed women to have an abortion if doctors agreed that the unborn child had a “fatal condition”, was defeated by 85 votes to 30.
The Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), Micheál Martin, said the proposed legislation had “significant flaws”, arguing that it would undermine “the entire legislative template that was enacted post the referendum”. This “template” removed an amendment to the Irish constitution passed in 1983 that had explicitly guaranteed the right to life of unborn children.
