EARLIER TODAY THE Data Protection Commissioner identified the service provider for a number which has been used to make automated calls to Irish households about the country’s laws on abortion in the past 48 hours – and the number was subsequently shut down.

However, this evening, further reports of the pre-recorded message being circulated via unsolicited phonecalls have resumed.

Readers of TheJournal.ie and users of social media have reported receiving the message, which says that Irish doctors do not put mothers’ lives at risk and are always obliged to intervene to save the woman’s life even if that results in the unfortunate death of an unborn child.

The watchdog confirmed that it had received 30 complaints about the automated calls, and followed up the matter “as a matter of priority”.

The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner has not been able to be reached for comment this evening.

TheJournal.ie called the number quoted by those reporting the the cold-calls but reached only a dead line.

Read: Number behind abortion robo-calls shut down
Read: ‘Large number of complaints’ to Data Protection Commissioner over abortion message calls