Yes, you can get an abortion in Ireland. It is available on request up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, and after 12 weeks only where there is a risk to your life or of serious harm to your health, or where the fetus has a fatal condition. Care is free for residents and is arranged through a GP, a family planning clinic, or the HSE’s My Options service.
When Abortion Is Allowed
The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 sets out three routes to a legal abortion, each with its own timing and certification rules.1Irish Statute Book. Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018
On Request Up to 12 Weeks
Anyone can request an abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, counted from the first day of your last menstrual period. A single doctor examines you and certifies in writing that you are within the limit. A three-day waiting period then runs from that certification. The procedure has to happen after the three days are up and before the pregnancy passes 12 weeks, so the timing is tight if you are close to the limit when you first see a doctor.2Irish Statute Book. Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, Section 12
Risk to Life or Serious Harm to Health
After 12 weeks, an abortion is lawful where two doctors agree there is a risk to your life or of serious harm to your health, and the fetus has not yet reached viability. One doctor must be an obstetrician; the other must be a specialist appropriate to the condition involved. Both have to certify their opinion before the procedure can go ahead.3Irish Statute Book. Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, Section 9
There is a separate rule for emergencies. Where there is an immediate risk to your life, a single doctor can act without the two-doctor certification. Conscientious objection does not apply in that situation.
Fatal Fetal Condition
An abortion is permitted at any stage of pregnancy where two doctors are satisfied that the fetus has a condition likely to cause its death before birth or within 28 days of birth. Again, one must be an obstetrician and the other a specialist in a relevant field, and both must certify their opinion.4Irish Statute Book. Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, Section 11
How to Arrange Care
Start with a GP, a family planning clinic, or a women’s health clinic that offers abortion care. Not every GP does. The HSE’s My Options service can point you to a provider near you. You can call freephone 1800 828 010, or 00353 59 916 5066 from outside Ireland. Phone lines run Monday to Thursday 9am to 8pm, Friday 9am to 7pm, and Saturday 10am to 2pm, and a nurse is available around the clock for medical questions. Webchat and interpreter services in 240 languages are also on offer.5Health Service Executive. My Options Freephone Line and Webchat
At the first appointment the doctor discusses your options, carries out a medical assessment, and confirms your gestational stage. If you are within 12 weeks, that assessment is written up and the three-day waiting period starts. After the wait, you return for the procedure.2Irish Statute Book. Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, Section 12
For pregnancies up to about 9 weeks, a medical abortion using medication is usually managed by a GP or clinic. Between 9 and 12 weeks, a medical abortion is done in a hospital. Surgical abortions are hospital procedures. Telemedicine is not routinely used for abortion care in Ireland, though it may be offered in limited situations.
Cost
Abortion services are free for residents of the Republic of Ireland, funded through the HSE. If you live outside the Republic, you can still be treated here, but you will have to pay for the care yourself.6Health Service Executive. Where to Go for an Abortion
If You Are Past 12 Weeks or Have Been Refused
If you apply on health grounds or on the basis of a fatal fetal condition and a doctor refuses to give a supporting opinion, they must tell you in writing that you can seek a review. The application goes to the HSE, which has three days to set up a review committee. The committee then has seven days to complete the review, and its doctors cannot have been involved in the original decision.7Irish Statute Book. Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 – Sections 13 to 16
People who fall outside the Irish grounds, most often because they are past 12 weeks, sometimes travel to the United Kingdom. The UK-based Abortion Support Network provides information on clinics, travel, and accommodation, and runs a mutual aid fund. ASN puts the average cost of travelling for care at roughly £1,000 (about €1,150), including clinic fees, travel, time off work, and childcare. Irish law does not restrict you from travelling abroad to access an abortion that is legal in another country.8Irish Statute Book. Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 – Section 23(7)
If You Are Under 18
Your care is confidential. Involving a parent or a supportive adult is encouraged but not required. If you are 16 or 17, you can consent to an abortion on your own, provided the doctor is satisfied you understand the information and can make the decision yourself.9Health Service Executive. What Is an Abortion
If you are 15 or younger and do not want to involve a parent, a doctor can still provide an abortion, but only in exceptional circumstances and after a medical assessment.9Health Service Executive. What Is an Abortion
Doctors have specific reporting duties to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. A report must be made if you are under 15 and have had sex, if you are 15 or 16 and the other person is at least two years older, or if you are under 17 and the doctor believes you are at risk of sexual abuse or harm.9Health Service Executive. What Is an Abortion
If Your Doctor Objects
Doctors, nurses, and midwives can refuse to take part in an abortion on grounds of personal conscience. A provider who objects must transfer your care to another provider who can help you. The right to object does not apply in an emergency where your life is at immediate risk.10Irish Statute Book. Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 – Section 22
Aftercare
You will be offered a free check-up about two weeks after the procedure, either in person or by phone or video call. It is optional but recommended. The doctor confirms the abortion is complete and that you are healing, and can also talk through contraception, counselling, or any concerns you have.11Health Service Executive. After an Abortion
After a medical abortion, you will be given a special low-sensitivity pregnancy test to take at home two weeks later, which confirms you are no longer pregnant. Follow the instructions carefully; ordinary pregnancy tests can give misleading results at this stage. Surgical abortions do not always need a follow-up test, and the hospital will tell you if yours does.11Health Service Executive. After an Abortion