Scotland’s offer to give abortions to Northern Irish women shames Stormont

Patrick Corrigan
Theresa May must follow Nicola Sturgeon’s lead in exposing the intransigence of Northern Ireland politicians and the inequality of access to terminations

Monday 21 November 2016

Scotland and Northern Ireland are separated by just a few short miles of sea. But when it comes to access to abortion, they are divided by more than 150 years of history. While Scots women are able to access abortions on the same basis as their counterparts in England and Wales, Northern Irish women still face a near-total ban on the termination of pregnancy.

In 2014-15, only 16 women were able to have lawful abortions in Northern Ireland. By contrast, 833 Ulster women travelled to England or Wales and paid for terminations at private clinics. And despite being full and equal taxpayers, Northern Ireland-resident women have been barred from accessing free abortions in NHS hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland.

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Source: The Guardian