Northern Ireland drags feet on abortion a year after UK orders roll-out

Northern Ireland drags feet on abortion a year after UK orders roll-out

Amanda Ferguson
June 24, 2020

BELFAST (Reuters) - Almost a year after the British parliament voted to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland, one of the last regions in Western Europe with a ban, women there face gaps in provision due to renewed local political roadblocks.

The region's socially conservative health minister Robin Swann has declined to order the health service to provide abortions, commission information campaigns, and also declined to introduce emergency telemedicine measures offered in the rest of the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/world/northern-ireland-drags-feet-on-abortion-a-year-after-uk-orders-roll-out-465720/

Northern Ireland prepares for momentous abortion, same-sex marriage changes

Amanda Ferguson, Reuters
October 21, 2019

BELFAST — Campaigners who fought for decades to end Northern Ireland’s same sex-marriage ban and restrictions on abortion prepare on Monday for a momentous change to the laws on both at the stroke of midnight.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that does not allow same-sex marriage. Also, unlike England, Scotland and Wales, laws in Northern Ireland forbid abortion except where a mother’s life is at risk, bans that have been upheld by the region’s block of conservative politicians.

Continued: https://nationalpost.com/pmn/health-pmn/northern-ireland-prepares-for-momentous-abortion-same-sex-marriage-changes

21.10.2019

Democratic Unionist Party

Northern Ireland faces decriminalization of abortion

Northern Ireland faces decriminalization of abortion
The UK region's strict abortion law is set to change after politicians in London stepped in to legislate to end decades of discrimination against British and Irish women there. The legislation dates back to 1861.

Date 20.10.2019
Author Amanda Ferguson (Belfast)

Northern Ireland's abortion legislation is some of the most restrictive in the world and come from the Victorian-era of history. Pro-choice campaigners have for decades pursued legal challenges for them to be changed to respect women's human rights.

The 1967 Abortion Act in Britain, allowing for abortion up to 24 weeks in the rest of the United Kingdom, was never extended to Northern Ireland.

Continued: https://www.dw.com/en/northern-ireland-faces-decriminalization-of-abortion/a-50890268

Northern Ireland Is About to Reform Its Abortion Law – Now What?

Northern Ireland Is About to Reform Its Abortion Law – Now What?
If its government doesn't reconvene by October 21st, its draconian law will be tossed out the window. Activists are counting down the days.

by Mary McGill
18 October 2019

With just a few days to go until October 21st, it is almost certain that Northern Ireland’s draconian law against abortion will be reformed. The political situation in Northern Ireland is complex. The region’s devolved government has been suspended for over two years. For campaigners fighting for equal rights issues like abortion, this stalemate has been frustrating.

That is, until July of this year, when Westminster issued a ruling paving the way for the liberalisation of the region’s abortion legislation, provided Northern Ireland’s government does not reconvene before October 21st. Although there are fears that Boris Johnson will use abortion in Northern Ireland as a bargaining tactic in Brexit negotiations, at this late stage reform is unlikely to be derailed

Continued: https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/mbmkbb/northern-ireland-abortion-law-reform

N.Ireland – Climate of Fear: When Part of a Country Bans Abortion

Climate of Fear: When Part of a Country Bans Abortion

By Ceylan Yeginsu
Aug. 10, 2019

BELFAST — It was one of the warmest days of the year, and Ciara was wearing a T-shirt to try to blend in with the vacationers at Belfast airport. But as soon as she boarded her flight to London, she noticed people staring at the dark purple bruises on her arm and the baby bump that stretched the fabric of her shirt.

“I’m sure some of it was paranoia, but I could tell from the way some folks looked at me that they figured out I was traveling for an abortion,” she said. Ciara, who is 32 and has two children, has asked to be identified in this article only by a childhood nickname, to protect her from her abusive former partner, who she said had threatened to kill her if she terminated the pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/10/world/europe/abortion-northern-ireland-roe.html

Pro-choice campaigners target North’s abortion laws

Pro-choice campaigners target North’s abortion laws
Women’s rights activists confident 2019 will see North’s restrictive regime reformed

Mon, Jan 7, 2019
Amanda Ferguson Belfast

Ashleigh Topley was devastated to learn at her 20-week scan that her baby had a fatal foetal abnormality and “would never take a breath”.

“Being denied a termination and then being forced to endure 15 weeks of willing my much-wanted daughter’s heart to stop and waiting for the pregnancy to end naturally can only be described as torture,” she says.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/pro-choice-campaigners-target-north-s-abortion-laws-1.3749396

Northern Ireland one of ‘most restrictive abortion regimes’

Northern Ireland one of 'most restrictive abortion regimes'
Ban, including in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality, sees women travel to England for procedure.

Alasdair Soussiby Alasdair Soussi
3 Jul 2018

Ashleigh Topley, from Portadown, Northern Ireland, recalled a harrowing stage in her own pregnancy when she was "willing her [child's] heart to stop" so she could begin the grieving process.

At her 20-week scan in 2013, Topley was told that her baby had a fatal foetal abnormality and would not survive outside the womb.

Continued: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/northern-ireland-europe-restrictive-abortion-regimes-180702204715776.html

The hypocrisy surrounding Northern Ireland’s abortion ban shames us all

The hypocrisy surrounding Northern Ireland’s abortion ban shames us all

Barbara Davidson
Friday October 27th 2017

This week the 1967 Abortion Act marked its fiftieth anniversary. While women in England, Scotland and Wales reflect on fifty years of reproductive rights, women in Northern Ireland have no reason for celebration.

Instead, women from Northern Ireland were in the Supreme Court this week, as judges heard a case on whether our abortion laws amount to a breach of human rights law.

Continued at source: https://inews.co.uk/opinion/comment/hypocrisy-surrounding-northern-irelands-abortion-ban-shames-us/

N.Ireland: North’s abortion law forcing women to go through ‘torture’ – Supreme Court hears

North’s abortion law forcing women to go through ‘torture’ – Supreme Court hears
London court told current law discriminates against women and girls on grounds of sex

Tue, Oct 24, 2017
Denis Staunton in London

Northern Ireland’s abortion law is forcing vulnerable women and girls to go through “physical and mental torture”, the supreme court in London has heard.

The court on Tuesday began hearing an application from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC), which argues that criminalisation of abortion, even in the case of rape, incest and fatal foetal abnormality, is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Continued at source: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/north-s-abortion-law-forcing-women-to-go-through-torture-supreme-court-hears-1.3267006