National Women’s Council of Ireland welcomes passing of abortion legislation

Published: Thursday, December 13, 2018

The National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) today welcomed the passage of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill through the Seanad.

Orla O’Connor said,

“In a year of historic days, today is another important one for women and girls in Ireland. After decades of campaigning from women’s organisations, after hundreds of thousands of women travelling to access healthcare services, and six months after a landslide yes vote, we now have legislation to provide abortion healthcare services. NWCI wishes to extend our thanks to TDs and Senators who worked to ensure the availability of abortion services for the January 1st, 2019 deadline.”

Orla O’Connor concluded,

“While recognising that this legislation does not do everything we have advocated for, such as decriminalise abortion and allow for safety zones to protect women from protesters, the Act will give effect to the enormous public mandate that the Yes vote on May 25th gave us. The National Women’s Council of Ireland will continue to advocate for improvements to this legislation, to ensure it works for all women and girls who need it. Now we will focus on ensuring the rollout of the best possible service.”

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