Sharon Keogan: Calls for legal protection for unborn victims
Sharon Keogan addressed violence against pregnant women and the lack of legal recognition for unborn victims. She cited the Women's Aid 2024 annual report and recent killings, and said she will support legislation to close the legal gap.
Key findings
The Women's Aid 2024 annual report showed 188 pregnant, postpartum or post-termination women were supported last year due to intimate partner abuse. Keogan described that figure as "not just a statistic" but a national disgrace and urged attention to the scale of domestic abuse affecting pregnant women.
Cases cited
She referenced a recent murder in Donadie, Northern Ireland, where a 27-year-old mother of two was killed at 34 weeks pregnant, resulting in two lives lost. Keogan also recalled the killing of Eilish Wall in Dublin in 2022, who was 22 weeks pregnant when she was stabbed by her partner; the court heard he intended to kill her unborn child, but no charges were brought for that death.
Legal shortcomings highlighted
Keogan said both cited cases were in the UK but warned Ireland has similar legal shortcomings. She argued that when an attack on a pregnant woman causes the death of her unborn child, current law does not treat that as the loss of a human life, which she called a moral and legal failing.
Legislative response
She welcomed the Pregnancy Loss Miscellaneous Provision Bill 2025 currently before the House for recognising the loss experienced by families whose babies die before the 24-week threshold for stillborn registration. However, Keogan said the bill "does not go far enough" and pressed for explicit legal protection for unborn victims of violence.
Next steps advocated
Keogan stated she intends to support any legislation that addresses the gap so justice is served for both women who suffer violence and unborn children who die unseen and unaccounted. She framed the change as necessary to ensure legal recognition and accountability in cases of violence affecting pregnant women.
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The Women's Aid 2024 annual report released just last week paints a harrowing picture of domestic abuse in this country. Among the most disturbing findings is that 188 pregnant, postpartum or post-termination women were supported by Women's Aid last year due to intimate partner abuse. This is not just a statistic, it is a national disgrace. And tragically this issue is not abstract. Just this weekend a 27-year-old mother of two was murdered in Donadie, Northern Ireland. She was 34 weeks pregnant, two lives lost, two victims. Similarly, let's not forget the case of Eilish Wall, a young woman from Dublin who was 22 weeks pregnant when she was stabbed to death by her partner in 2022. The court heard that he intended to kill her unborn child, but no charges were brought for that death. While both are UK cases, we have similar shortcomings under our own laws. Fellow members of the House, the Pregnancy Loss Miscellaneous Provision Bill 2025, currently before this House, rightly recognises the profound loss experienced by families whose babies die before 24-week threshold for stillborn registration for. This is a welcome step, but it does not go far enough. We must now ask, where is the legal protection for the unborn victims of violence? When a pregnant woman is attacked and her unborn child dies as a result, our laws do not treat that as a loss of a human life. This is a moral and legal failing. I intend to support any legislation to address this gap before justice must be done, not just for the women who suffer, but for the unborn children who die unseen and unaccounted. Thank you.
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