THE NORTH IS WAITING- Westminster ‘may intervene’ over abortion services
Unfortunately, the picture is less rosy in Northern Ireland, where the women and girls of Northern Ireland are STILL unable to access essential health care.
Abortion up to 12 weeks has been legal since 2019, following a historic vote in Westminster where MPs voted to decriminalise abortion, during the hiatus at Stormont.
“We are in the ludicrous position of now having the best abortion laws in the UK and Ireland, but the worst access. The refusal of the Department of Health to publish any information, even on the limited services that are available, has meant many women have ended up in the hands of anti-abortion groups, who mislead them until they are over the 10 weeks cut-off in services.
Travelling to England for abortions was and remains a grave human rights breach that must be remedied urgently”
Emma Campbell, Co-Convenor of Alliance for Choice
The pressure is mounting last week, the NI Human Rights Commission launched legal action against the secretary of state and Department of Health, citing a disparity in services amongst the five health trusts, Four in five trusts in Northern Ireland is only providing abortion pills up to 10 weeks, despite the law allowing abortions up to 12 weeks, and currently, no surgical abortions are taking place despite the fact that abortion is legal up to 24 weeks of pregnancy in Northern Ireland
Yesterday, a group of MPs; Stella Creasey, Karin Smyth and Stephen Farry urged Northern Irish Minister Walker Worcester to take immediate action regarding the commissioning of abortion services within Northern Ireland.
The Minister confirmed in today’s parliamentary questions that women have been forced to travel to England during the pandemic for abortion care.
Stephen Farry MP for Alliance North Down wrote to the NIO to
voice his concerns about the issue.
In his reply, NIO minister Robin Walker acknowledged that it is the right of women and girls to access abortion services under the north’s laws.
“While recognising the extreme pressures on health systems across the UK, we remain disappointed that the Northern Ireland Executive and Department of Health have not acted by now to ensure they deliver on these rights following the earlier change to the law,”
The North is still waiting – The pregnant people of Northern Ireland need immediate action to ensure abortion care, the shilly-shallying and refusal to set up abortion services whilst the coronavirus pandemic rages is forcing people to travel, purchase the abortion pill online or carry to term. Robin Swann must commission abortion services now!
Take action! Sign the petition to Allow Remote Abortion Provision in NI
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