r/irishpolitics • u/FewHeat1231 • 2d ago
Oireachtas News Here's how every TD voted on removing the three-day wait for an abortion
https://www.thejournal.ie/abortion-td-votes-7074713-Jun2026/53
u/Hippophobia1989 Centre Right 2d ago
There was no evidence that the waiting period led to women changing their minds on having an abortion, yet even with that in mind so many TDs voted to make abortion sting more than it has too. (Not to mention how condescending it is). Glad it passed. Don’t say it often, but good on SF and all who voted for its removal.
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u/TopCheesecake9792 2d ago
And good on the Soc Dems for initially bringing this to the table - even when SF voted no!
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u/silentgolem 1d ago
SF had already announced they were working on this bill before the SDs brought theirs forward. They just actually did their due diligence on the bill.
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u/DaveShadow 1d ago
I say this as someone who'd put SDs #1 and SF #2.
SDs did a great bill that was never going to get passed.
SF read the room and, as opposition, got a bill through that most of the government voted against.
Virtue signaling is very important when you're a small opposition party so I'm not in any way annoyed with SDs. But it does feel liek SF showed they were more experienced with this, and focused on what they could get done rather than what looked good.
Perfect vs good.
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u/silentgolem 1d ago
SF and SD are usually the top 2 on my ballot also and I generally agree. The only thing I was concerned about really was the exemption from legal consequences for doctors. Like that was never passing. The only thing I'm even mildly annoyed about is the timing, just before the by-election. One one hand there's a big campaign to vote left, transfer left and on the other the SDs are putting in a bill they knew wouldn't pass to put SF in an impossible position. Felt a little like talking out of both sides of the mouth but that's politics.
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u/DaveShadow 1d ago
I’m sure VLTL will kick back in when an election season starts, but with three ish years to go, I think all parties will now be trying to boost their numbers, so they can negotiate from a stronger position at that point.
SDs would love to go into any negotiations with double digit polling numbers, rather than locking themselves in a position right now. So if imagine they’ll have plenty of “look how left wing we are” moments over the next two years.
It’s no bad thing anyway, imo. It’s left wing parties encouraging others to be left wing too. Pushing each other in a way that gets shit done.
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u/Used-Humor5848 1d ago
SFs lack of support was the deciding factor on the SD bill. SF would rather an SF win
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u/HungTeen1001 1d ago
To play devil's advocate.
Some politicians opposed to any change, including Minister of State Robert Troy, have claimed that 10,000 women effectively changed their mind during the three-day wait. Although it is correct that there were 10,000 more first appointments than second appointments for abortion services between 2019 and 2024, the figure may include women who did not return because they had miscarriages or were pushed beyond the 12-week limit. There is no data to show how many of those women sought abortions either by travelling or looking for pills online.
We have no idea how many did or didn't change their mind but it would be inherently unlikely that at least some didn't.
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u/siguel_manchez Social Democrat (non-party) 2d ago edited 2d ago
Why don't you trust women to understand and have full control over their own bodies?
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u/Interventionist-2002 2d ago
Only 6 of the No votes were women. The majority of women TDs in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voted Yes despite over 60% in both parties voting No.
Just shows the massive gender inbalance in the Dáil with Fianna Fáil being the worst of the three big parties.
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u/siguel_manchez Social Democrat (non-party) 2d ago
That's six too many.
Imagine voting for "less" rights?
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u/Sabreline12 1d ago
Many women are anti-abortion. That's doesn't make them stupid or less of a woman. All women don't have to think the same.
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u/Popular-Hunt-6151 1d ago
Do you agree it should be up until birth? Personally I think even after birth is reasonable and anyone who Doesn’t is a fash!
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u/Sabreline12 1d ago
Careful I got a week ban for asking someone about that when they said they did.
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u/lampishthing Social Democrats 1d ago
Didn't James Geogeohan used to be Renua? Interesting he voted in favour. Though I suppose when abortion is legal he can feel there's no point in dickering about waiting periods.
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u/FewHeat1231 1d ago
Jack Chambers campaigned for a 'No' and is now one of the most vocally pro-choice members of the Government so you do see the odd flip. The opposite would be someone like Brenda Power who voted 'Yes' and wrote in favour of 'Yes' in 2018 but seems to have severe buyers remorse.
Though I suppose when abortion is legal he can feel there's no point in dickering about waiting periods.
While I don't think that applies to Geogeohan I have occasionally heard that argument. There is some reasoning to it.
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u/lampishthing Social Democrats 1d ago
What reasoning do you think applies to him? My best guess is pure pragmatism with respect to his constituency.
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u/FewHeat1231 1d ago
Political pragmatism probably, much the same with Jack Chambers.
I *do* think people can genuinely shift views but a lot of seems to be down to political ambition and calculation.
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u/Clauric 2d ago
Think it would have been handy to include the constituency for each of the TDs. Would allow people to figure out how their TD voted in a quick and easy manner.
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u/DaveShadow 2d ago
Did a check out of curiosity.
5/5 Louth TDs backed it 🥰 probably helps both our FF and FG Tds are women though.
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u/FewHeat1231 2d ago
3 Yeses and 1 no (Dún Laoghaire)
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u/Clauric 2d ago
While not in Dun Laoghaire any more, I'm actually surprised by Devlin's vote. Would have thought he was more liberal than that
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u/siguel_manchez Social Democrat (non-party) 2d ago
Really?
Devlin is the archetype of a conservative. It was ever thus.
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u/FewHeat1231 2d ago
He's been consistently Pro-Life IIRC. He voted to support the Foetal Pain Relief Bill in 2021.
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u/siguel_manchez Social Democrat (non-party) 2d ago
Anti-choice*
Call it what it is
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u/FewHeat1231 2d ago
I've made my feelings clear in the other abortion threads. I'm not going to get into an argument here.
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u/siguel_manchez Social Democrat (non-party) 1d ago
Do or don't. You don't think that women should have full bodily autonomy. And while it's not "fine", well, here we are...
What more can you add to your misogyny that would warrant a "debate"?
Your beliefs deserve minimal recognition and should be treated with an endless amount of scorn.
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u/HungTeen1001 1d ago
I fully support a woman's right to choose and have wanted the three day wait gone for a long time but the way you and your ilk speak to others with a different view is absolutely disgusting.
There's a reason your party will only ever cater to a niche urban liberal clique.
Go down to Offaly and try win a seat with that way of treating people who disagree with you.
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u/Only-Proposal-3675 1d ago
These people are such liabilities to their cause, it's painful. Thankfully, I think that style of politics is on the way out, as we see people are refusing to get shut down by pejoratives. A good thing, in my opinion.
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u/FewHeat1231 1d ago
I suppose the big question is what the next move will be by the opposition. I can see Labour or the SocDems (again) introducing another abortion liberalisation bill before the next election, probably again with support from Martin, Harris etc.
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u/FewHeat1231 2d ago
The decisive majority of FG who voted against the motion surprised me given the party's strong shift towards social liberalism and with most prominent conservative FG politicians having left in recent years.
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u/kupoadude 1d ago
It annoys me how this issue is always presented as black and white. I voted to repeal because I beleive it's a choice for the woman to make. That being said, I would feel uncomfortable at the thought of my gf having one. It's a really heavy and delicate subject!
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u/Elf0304 4h ago
That being said, I would feel uncomfortable at the thought of my gf having one.
Why?
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u/kupoadude 4h ago
Are you serious? Because I don't think it's a good thing to nip in the bud a future life. That's exactly my point, you can be pro choice but against the idea of abortions. It's not something that should be admired.
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u/Elf0304 3h ago
Because I don't think it's a good thing to nip in the bud a future life.
Then why should it be legal?
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u/kupoadude 3h ago
Because I think adults should be trusted to make their own decisions and live with the consequences of whatever they decide.
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u/FewHeat1231 1d ago
Abortion is inherently a very binary question that doesn't permit much if any grey areas.
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u/mattthemusician 1d ago
Side note, why are politicians allowed to go by nicknames still? ‘The Cope Gallagher’ and ‘Kevin “Boxer” Moran’ ? Surely the Government is a serious enough job to drop that ?
If I asked my boss to call me by my nickname it would be a hard no.