Over 100 abortions carried out in Westmeath last year

Over 6500 pregnancies were terminated in the state last year, including over 100 in Westmeath, according to a new report by the Department of Health.

In total, 6577 terminations were carried last year, a slight decrease on 2019 when the figure was 6666. Of the 6557 procedures, 20 were carried out due to “a risk to life or health”; five due to “a risk to life or health in an emergency situation”; 97 due to a fatal fetal anomaly; and 6455 in the first 12 weeks of the pregnancy.

The report also give a county by county breakdown based on the place of residence of the pregnant woman. Dublin (2414), Cork (645) and Limerick (278) were the counties with highest number of recorded terminations based on the address given, while Leitrim (28) had the lowest. In Westmeath, 108 pregnancies were terminated last year compared to 104 in 2019.