Northern Irish women win access to free abortions as May averts rebellion

Ministers announce funding for NI women to have abortions in England, in attempt to head off Tory revolt in Queen’s speech vote
Stella Creasy

Jessica Elgot and Henry McDonald
Thursday 29 June 2017

A decades-long struggle to give Northern Irish women access to terminations on the NHS in mainland Britain was unexpectedly won in the space of 24 hours on Thursday, as the UK government dramatically changed its policy in an attempt to head off a damaging Tory rebellion on the Queen’s speech.

Dozens of Conservative MPs were understood to have expressed to Tory whips their support for an amendment by the Labour MP Stella Creasy to allow Northern Irish women access to NHS-funded abortions in Great Britain.

Continued at link: The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/29/rebel-tories-could-back-northern-ireland-abortion-amendment