"Safe, legal and rare" was the line in 2018. HSE data shows that between 2019 and 2024, 10,426 women who attended an abortion appointment did not return after the three-day cooling-off and waiting period. That proves that those ladies took time to reflect and made a different decision to what they might have made if they did not have the cooling-off period. The waiting period was presented as an important safeguard within the legislation. There are close to 11,000 abortions taking place in Ireland every year. Over 60,000 abortions have happened since the law changed in 2019. Abortion now ends the lives of one in every six babies in Ireland. This, in my opinion, is a national tragedy. I respect that people hold different views on abortion and they are perfectly entitled to their views but the question is whether politicians should now remove safeguards that formed part of the framework presented to the public in the first instance. I believe that what is happening now is blatantly wrong. Why is there such a rush to dismantle a measure that was presented to voters as part of the balance in the legislation? It does not make sense. What it proves is that what was presented and what was sold to the public at the time by the politicians who were supporting the introduction of this change in the legislation is now being twisted and turned into something different and the safeguard is being removed. That is wrong. I respect everybody's right to hold the opinion that they have on this very important issue but I believe what is happening here is blatantly wrong and I completely disagree with it.

Sentiment score: -0.02