Several thousand people gathered in Dublin on Monday to take part in the annual ‘March for Life’, with demonstrators assembling at St Stephen's Green before marching through the city to Leinster House.
The event, organised by the Pro Life Campaign, focused this year on abortion figures in Ireland, with organisers highlighting the most recent Department of Health data showing 10,852 abortions were carried out in 2024.
Campaigners expressed concern about the rising number and called for increased “life-affirming” supports for women facing crisis pregnancies.
“Not every woman who rings a State-level hotline is looking for an abortion,” said Eilís Mulroy, campaign manager with the Pro Life Campaign. “You don't have to be somebody who voted 'no' to repeal the Eighth Amendment back in 2018 to agree that women should be given all of the information they deserve when they are looking for help.”
Among the speakers was Ken O'Flynn, a TD for Cork North-Central, who addressed the crowd on the pressures faced by women experiencing crisis pregnancies.
“I am a man and because I am a man I will never fully understand what it is like to face a crisis pregnancy. I will never feel that fear. I will never feel that pressure, the isolation.”
He questioned the factors influencing abortion decisions, asking: “Why do so many feel that they have no choice? Is it housing? Is it the cost of living? Is it fear, or is it the lack of support?” He added that those attending were sending “a very clear message: this debate is not over and we will not be silenced”.
Also speaking at the rally, Caroline Simons said more support was needed for women. “Most women have abortions because they don't have the facilities to look after babies. They need financial support, they need emotional support, they need to be able to continue their education and perhaps their employment. That's where we should be giving the help.”
Ellen Troy, a councillor with Aontú, urged attendees to back candidates who oppose abortion, warning that figures would continue to rise “if we don’t have more pro-life seats in that Dáil behind us”.
The demonstration comes amid renewed political debate over Ireland’s abortion laws.
A bill introduced in the Dáil by Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats, proposes making the current three-day waiting period optional rather than mandatory. Cairns described the requirement as “the patronising and paternalistic three-day mandatory waiting period” and said it “has no scientific basis”.
March organisers and speakers were critical of the proposed change, with many calling on the Government to retain the existing waiting period between an initial consultation and a termination. Simons argued the measure “gives a woman freedom, time to think, time to reflect”.
The proposal has also drawn criticism from church representatives. Kevin Doran, chair of the Council for Life of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference, said: “This week saw the introduction of yet another bill in the Oireachtas, to further extend the availability of abortion. This raises the question as to why a small number of public representatives are so determined to ignore the truth, or to deny it entirely.”
Ireland’s current abortion laws were introduced following the repeal of the Eighth Amendment in 2018, a referendum passed by 66.4 per cent to 33.6 per cent, allowing for terminations without restriction up to 12 weeks, subject to a mandatory three-day waiting period.
However, Cairns has argued that gaps remain in access to services, particularly in complex cases. “It is now seven years since our abortion law was enacted and three years since an expert review found a range of problems with it,” she said. “Every month that passes without action is a month in which more and more women are failed.”
The march concluded outside Leinster House, with organisers reiterating calls for increased supports for women and for the Government to maintain what they describe as existing safeguards within the legislation.
