A Social Democrats bill aimed at updating Ireland's abortion laws has been introduced in the Dáil and will now be heard at a second stage.
Its party leader Holly Cairns said she hoped the Reproductive Rights (Amendment) Bill 2026 would "close gaps" in the current legislation.
Speaking in the Dáil, Ms Cairns said women are "still travelling, still navigating crisis pregnancies far from home, far from their support networks, still being failed by a system that was meant to care for them".
She called this "cruel" and "inhumane".
She said this was not what people voted for when "we voted overwhelmingly to repeal the eighth amendment".
"The reality is women are still travelling, still navigating crisis pregnancies far from home, far from their support networks, still being failed by a system that was meant to care for them.
"That is not what people voted for. No piece of legislation is set in stone. No law is beyond improvement."
She said "approximately 240 women are still forced to travel to the UK to access abortion care".
"Many of them are travelling because they received a devastating diagnosis often after the 20-week scan.
"Currently doctors must be certain that a foetus will die within 28 days of birth, in order to provide abortion care. That certainty is very difficult to achieve."
She said doctors are left with "no other choice but to force women to travel".
"Women deserve dignity, compassion and a "healthcare system that addresses their needs rather than directing them to a ferry terminal," she said.
She said "the patronising and paternalistic three-day mandatory waiting period" would become optional rather than mandatory under the bill.
She said this period is "grounded in the mistrust of women" and it "needs to go".
Important that 'all voices are heard' - Taoiseach
During Leaders Questions, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the proposals require careful consideration.
He said it is important that "all voices are heard" and that "we have a respectful debate and discussion on this" and he said the bill would allow for that to happen in the house.
Mr Martin said Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will engage "constructively" with Ms Cairns on this legislation.
The Taoiseach said it was important to reach the "maximum consensus possible before proceeding with change".
He said it is a "vote of conscience" and accepted that women travelling abroad for treatment due to fatal foetal abnormalities was an issue.
Toibín calls on TDs to oppose the bill
Speaking outside Leinster House earlier, Aontú Peadar Toibín called on TDs to oppose the bill.
He said there were 10,850 abortions carried out in 2024 and "it is the highest on record, since the legislation was changed".
Deputy Toibín said it would be a "mistake to delete" the three-day reflection period.
"This is often one of the biggest decisions that any woman could make in her life. It is an irreversible decision.
"We believe it is compassionate to provide a period of time for a woman to reflect in relation to proceeding to an abortion or not," he said.
The bill will now be debated at a second stage during Private Members Time.
