#EU #Ireland – The Dáil voted on Wednesday evening to advance Sinn Féin’s legislation aimed at abolishing the mandatory three-day waiting period for women seeking early abortions, passing the measure by 86 votes to 70.
The Health (Abolition of Three Day Wait Rule) (Amendment) Bill 2026, introduced by Sinn Féin health spokesperson David Cullinane, cleared Second Stage after a free vote on the issue of conscience for Government TDs. Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris both voted in favour, along with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
The bill seeks to amend the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 by removing the requirement for a three-day delay between a woman’s initial consultation with a doctor and the procedure for terminations up to 12 weeks’ gestation. Proponents argued the wait was paternalistic, lacked a strong medical basis, and created unnecessary barriers — particularly for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, or those facing logistical challenges.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil on Tuesday that forcing women to wait was “just wrong” and failed to uphold the spirit of the 2018 referendum that repealed the Eighth Amendment. “We should trust women,” she said. Cullinane emphasized the bill was narrowly targeted and open to technical amendments at committee stage.
Opponents, including some Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil TDs and Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín, warned that the three-day period provided valuable reflection time. They cited HSE data showing thousands of women did not return for the procedure after the initial consultation. Minister for Children Norma Foley was among those who voted against, stating the wait had been part of the framework presented to voters in 2018.
The legislation now proceeds to the Oireachtas health committee for detailed scrutiny and potential amendments. If it clears all remaining stages in the Dáil and Seanad, it could become law later this year.
The vote marked a significant step for supporters of further liberalisation of Ireland’s abortion laws, eight years after the landmark referendum. It followed the defeat of a broader Social Democrats bill on the issue in May.
Image: Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament.
