Abortion law change: Is Northern Ireland really next?

Abortion law change: Is Northern Ireland really next?
Pro-choice activists in the North hope a string of court cases will advance their cause

Sat, Jan 12, 2019
Susan McKay

On the 29th of this month, Sarah Ewart will appear before the High court in Belfast to present her case that women in Northern Ireland should have access to rights enjoyed by women in all other parts of the United Kingdom.

Ewart is bracing herself – this appearance, while demanding, will be infinitely less agonising than other ordeals she has been through. Five years ago, aged 23, the Belfast woman travelled to an abortion clinic in England to terminate a much wanted pregnancy that was otherwise going to end with the birth of a baby with a foetal abnormality.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/abortion-law-change-is-northern-ireland-really-next-1.3753579


N. Ireland – Girl ‘taken from classroom to be questioned by police over abortion pills’

Girl ‘taken from classroom to be questioned by police over abortion pills’
The teenager’s mother is taking a judicial review against the decision to charge her for procuring the medication online.

November 6 2018

A Northern Ireland schoolgirl whose mother is facing prosecution for buying her abortion pills was taken from a classroom by police officers and spoken to about the alleged crime without her parents being present, a court has heard.

A barrister for the mother outlined the circumstances of the case as she urged judges to rule that her looming prosecution is in contravention of human rights laws.

Continued: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/girl-taken-from-classroom-to-be-questioned-by-police-over-abortion-pills-37497844.html


N.Ireland – Abortion pills prosecution could have ‘chilling effect’

Abortion pills prosecution could have 'chilling effect'

By Catherine Smyth, BBC News NI
6 November 2018

The decision to prosecute a woman accused of buying abortion pills for her 15-year-old daughter could have a "chilling effect" on woman and girls in a similar situation, a court has heard.

A lawyer representing the Northern Irish woman made the comments at the High Court in Belfast. The woman is challenging the decision to prosecute her.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-46099973


Abortion robots confiscated by police for distributing pills at Belfast protest

Abortion robots confiscated by police for distributing pills at Belfast protest

Anthony Cuthbertson
May 31, 2018

Two robots delivering abortion pills at a protest in Belfast have been confiscated by police.

The robots were part of an initiative by the group Women on Waves, who claimed that the country's "mediaeval" anti-abortion laws were being broken because the so-called abortion robots were being operated from the Netherlands.

"We try to find legal loopholes to draw attention to laws that violate women's rights," Rebecca Gomperts, a spokesperson for Women on Waves, told The Independent.

Continued: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/abortion-robot-belfast-protest-northern-ireland-pills-deliver-a8377591.html


Women defy authorities by taking abortion pills in Belfast

Women defy authorities by taking abortion pills in Belfast
PSNI tried to remove one of the pro-choice activists but gave up after stand-off

May 31, 2018

Pro-choice campaigners have taken abortion pills outside Northern Ireland’s main court buildings in defiance of the strict laws governing terminations.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where the procedure is not legal, aside from exceptional cases, and the Republic has voted to allow it in early pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/abortion-referendum/women-defy-authorities-by-taking-abortion-pills-in-belfast-1.3515120


“Nothing Will Stop Abortions”: Campaigners Fear Northern Ireland Pill Crackdown Will Endanger Women

“Nothing Will Stop Abortions”: Campaigners Fear Northern Ireland Pill Crackdown Will Endanger Women

“More women are going to suffer in silence and fear,” Helen Crickard, a Belfast-based abortion rights campaigner whose workplace was raided by police, told BuzzFeed News.

posted on Mar. 16, 2017
Laura Silver
BuzzFeed News Reporter

Vulnerable women will be left to “suffer in silence and fear” following a police crackdown on the illegal purchase of abortion pills in Northern Ireland, campaigners have said.

On International Women’s Day, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) carried out a series of raids at addresses in Belfast – including the workplace of an artist involved with abortion rights campaigning – in connection with the alleged illegal purchasing of prescription medication online.

Continued at source: Buzzfeed: https://www.buzzfeed.com/laurasilver/a-crackdown-on-abortion-pills-in-northern-ireland-endangers?utm_term=.ebwXk7NnQ5#.fr7Ga4nJQx