Ireland moves to grant paid leave after abortion, drawing pro-life concern

Irish lawmakers have approved the framework of a bill that would provide five days of paid leave after an early “pregnancy loss” – including when the pregnancy was deliberately ended through abortion.

The proposed Pregnancy Loss Leave Bill would cover losses occurring before 23 weeks of pregnancy. Although government officials have primarily presented the measure as compassionate support for women suffering miscarriages, reporting on the approved framework confirms that women who obtain abortions would also qualify as long as a doctor certifies the end of the pregnancy.

The proposal offers five days of leave per year, paid by employers at 70% of the employee’s daily earnings and capped at €110 ($126) per day. The right to take leave would begin on the first day of employment, while receiving payment would require 13 weeks of service. Medical certification would also be required, RTE reported.

The Cabinet’s approval does not make the policy law immediately. The full legislation must now be drafted and brought before Ireland’s parliament, where reports indicate it is likely to receive broad support, according to The Irish Times.

Pro-life advocates argue that extending a benefit for women bereaved by miscarriage to women who have their unborn babies aborted exposes a deep contradiction in the government’s approach to women and children.

Eilís Mulroy of Ireland’s Pro Life Campaign said government leaders are effectively acknowledging that abortion may bring grief and trauma while simultaneously seeking to remove safeguards that could help women avoid that suffering.

“So first they voted to abolish the three-day reflection period prior to an abortion,” Mulroy said, “and now senior members of government like Micheál Martin and Simon Harris are, in effect, saying to women: ‘We recognise the grief and trauma you might experience after an abortion, so we believe you’re entitled to five days’ leave.’”

At the same time, she continued, those leaders supported eliminating the reflection period “despite the fact that it could potentially safeguard you from finding yourself in that awful situation in the first place.”

“The position these politicians are adopting makes absolutely no sense,” Mulroy said.

She argued that the government should focus on giving women practical alternatives to abortion rather than treating abortion as the expected response to an unplanned pregnancy.

“Until they start doing that,” Mulroy said, “the Government is effectively saying to women that abortion is the way to deal with the situation. This is totally unacceptable.”

The controversy follows a series of parliamentary battles over Ireland’s mandatory three-day waiting period.

In May, lawmakers defeated a Social Democrats bill that would have eliminated the waiting period and broadened access to later abortions. The measure failed by an 85-30 vote, a result the Pro Life Campaign called a “wonderful” and “hard-fought” victory for mothers and unborn children, The Catholic Herald reported.

Only a month later, however, the Dáil voted 86-70 to advance a separate Sinn Féin bill abolishing the same three-day safeguard. The proposal must still pass further stages in both houses of parliament before becoming law.

Pro-life groups say the waiting period has demonstrably affected abortion decisions. Government data compiled by the Pro Life Campaign show that 59,401 women attended initial consultations between 2019 and 2024, while 48,975 returned for a second appointment.

That means 10,426 women – between 17% and 18% – did not return after the waiting period. The reasons include changed decisions, miscarriages, and abortions performed in hospitals, but advocates argue the consistent gap shows that time for reflection has a measurable effect.

Ireland legalized abortion following the 2018 repeal of the Eighth Amendment, which had recognized the equal right to life of the mother and unborn child. Abortion services began in 2019, permitting elective abortions through 12 weeks and later procedures under specified conditions.

The number of abortions has since risen sharply. Ireland recorded 10,852 abortions in 2024, compared with 6,666 in 2019, and nearly 49,000 abortions occurred during the first six years of the law, according to The Catholic Herald.

Concerns about the country’s abortion system extend beyond the waiting period. As Zeale News previously reported, Irish health-service figures showed that 108 babies were born alive after attempted abortions between 2019 and 2023 and subsequently died. Pro-life advocates called for an inquiry into whether some children who might have survived were denied appropriate care.