The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was signed into law on 20 December 2018 and commenced on 1 January 2019. Section 7 of the Act states that “The Minister shall, not later than 3 years after the commencement of this section, carry out a review of the operation of this Act”.
The review of the operation of the Act is being progressed this year, in line with statutory and Government commitments.
As I have stated previously, an independent expert will be appointed to lead the review, which will comprise a three-part approach to appraise the operation of the Act, with strands focusing on service users, service providers and a public consultation.
Upon completion of the review, a full report with any necessary recommendations, will be submitted to me, as Minister, for consideration. I will submit my recommendations, with the report, to Government.