Ireland only legalized abortion in 2018. At the time, a three-day waiting period between an initial consultation and the actual procedure was established, designed to help women considering abortion think through the implications of the life-altering (and life-ending) procedure.  

Five years later, pro-abortion advocates are pushing for its repeal, which may be because it has been so effective. As Right to Life UK reports, in 2022, 2,600 women in Ireland had babies instead of abortions after a three-day waiting period. In a country of only five million people, where there were just over 8,000 total abortions in that same time period, that’s a more than significant number of lives saved.   

Because abortion depends on selective ignorance, laws can make a real difference. When people are forced to confront the humanity of the unborn, and women are given time to process this decision, more choose life. That might be why so many abortion advocates work hard to keep the procedure in darkness.