The Dáil has narrowly voted not to restore a Private Member’s Bill on abortion to the order paper, following its lapse with the dissolution of the previous Dáil. The motion was defeated by 73 votes to 71, making it the closest vote of the current Dáil session.

The legislation in question, the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill, sought to amend existing law by abolishing the mandatory three-day waiting period for abortion on request. It also proposed to allow abortion on request up to 22 weeks of pregnancy, before foetal viability, and to expand access in cases of fatal foetal abnormality likely to result in the death of the foetus before birth or within a year of birth.

As the Bill had not been passed before the last general election, it automatically fell with the dissolution of the Dáil. Restoring it was required in order for further debate and scrutiny to take place in the new Dáil.

Government TDs were granted a free vote on the issue. Among those who voted in favour of restoring the Bill were the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee, and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers. Chambers had previously voted against repealing the Eighth Amendment in the 2018 referendum.

However, a number of Government figures opposed the motion. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan voted against restoring the Bill, as did Fianna Fáil TD Mary Butler, who has served as Government Chief Whip since January 2025 and who also voted against abortion in the 2018 referendum.

Aontú leader and pro-life TD Peadar Tóibín described the result as a significant victory. He claimed the vote represented a rejection of what he characterised as the decriminalisation of abortion up to birth, and criticised Sinn Féin for supporting the Bill.

Following the initial electronic vote, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy requested a roll-call vote, arguing that the issue was one of major importance to women’s health. The subsequent vote added two further votes, resulting in the final tally of 73 to 71. Murphy urged TDs who had abstained or voted against the motion to reconsider, pointing to the free vote afforded to Government members.

In response to the Dáil decision, the campaign group ROSA called for renewed grassroots activism on abortion access and other social issues, including trans healthcare, housing, the cost of living, and gender-based violence. Taking to Instagram, they wrote, “Let’s reignite the spirit and activism of repeal — and force change from below as we did before — on abortion access and trans healthcare — and on housing/cost of living and an end to gender violence and racism.”

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