Northern Ireland abortion: Westminster inquiry mounts pressure on UK Government to reform law

Northern Ireland abortion: Westminster inquiry mounts pressure on UK Government to reform law
Women and Equality Committee report makes clear UK Government responsible for addressing breach of women’s rights in Northern Ireland

25 Apr 2019

The Women and Equalities Committee have today (25 April) published their inquiry report on abortion in Northern Ireland. Amnesty International UK and the Family Planning Association have welcomed the report and called on the UK Government to take immediate action.
The report identifies serious concerns with the abortion law and makes a series of important recommendations on the law, policy and practice governing abortion access for women in Northern Ireland. Critically, it calls on the UK Government to address the rights breaches found by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/northern-ireland-abortion-westminster-inquiry-mounts-pressure-uk-government-reform

‘Brave’ Belfast woman forced to go to England for abortion launches bid to change law on human rights grounds

'Brave' Belfast woman forced to go to England for abortion launches bid to change law on human rights grounds
'Each time I re-live the trauma. I hope this will be the last time I have to go to court and prove that women like me should be able to access abortion services at home,' says Sarah Ewart

Maya Oppenheim, Women's Correspondent
Jan 29, 2019

A landmark case in Belfast High Court could find Northern Ireland’s abortion law in breach of the UK’s human rights commitments, say experts.

Sarah Ewart, who was forced to travel to England for an abortion after being told her unborn child would not survive outside the womb, has launched a new case which starts on Wednesday.

Continued: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/northern-ireland-abortion-sarah-ewart-high-court-case-human-rights-commission-a8752241.html

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 – 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

Woman tweets her journey from Northern Ireland to Liverpool to have an abortion after she was told her baby won’t survive

Woman tweets her journey from Northern Ireland to Liverpool to have an abortion after she was told her baby won’t survive

Laura Abernethy
Tuesday 23 Oct 2018

A woman has tweeted the story of her heartbreaking journey from Northern Ireland to get an abortion in Liverpool after doctors told her that her baby has a rare birth defect that means it would die soon after birth.

Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland, except when there is a ‘real and serious’ physical or mental health risk to the mother. There are no exceptions for cases of fatal foetal abnormality, meaning mothers must carry their baby to full-term and give birth, even if they know it will not survive.

Continued: https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/23/woman-tweets-her-journey-from-northern-ireland-to-liverpool-to-have-an-abortion-after-she-was-told-her-baby-wont-survive-8059826/

Court: Medics fear life imprisonment over restrictive NI abortion laws

Court: Medics fear life imprisonment over restrictive NI abortion laws

Friday, October 05, 2018

Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion laws have left medics fearing life imprisonment, a court heard.

They have had a chilling effect on doctors, a lawyer for a woman forced to travel to England for a termination for a fatal foetal abnormality said.

Continued: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/court-medics-fear-life-imprisonment-over-restrictive-ni-abortion-laws-873902.html

Fresh legal challenge lodged against abortion laws in Northern Ireland

Fresh legal challenge lodged against abortion laws in Northern Ireland

Monday, October 01, 2018

A fresh legal challenge against Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion laws has been mounted.

Sarah Ewart is applying for a judicial review, seeking a declaration of incompatibility with human rights law in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities.

Five years ago, Ms Ewart travelled from Northern Ireland for a termination in England after a 20-week scan revealed her baby had anencephaly, which meant its brain and skull had not developed and it would either die before being born or shortly afterwards.

Continued: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/fresh-legal-challenge-lodged-against-abortion-laws-in-northern-ireland-872700.html

From Ireland to Northern Ireland: campaigns for abortion law

From Ireland to Northern Ireland: campaigns for abortion law

Angel Li
Published: 16 June 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31357-6 |

After Ireland successfully overturned its 8th Amendment using grassroots activism, attention turns to Northern Ireland's abortion laws. Angel Li reports from Dublin.

Sitting in a quiet carriage of a train to Gatwick Airport, my thoughts turned to the women taking this same route back to Ireland after travelling to the UK for abortions. I wondered if anyone was on this train for that very purpose. More than 170 000 women have travelled abroad from Ireland seeking abortions since 1980.

Having arrived at Gatwick Airport, I met two volunteers working with the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign who were taking the same flight to Dublin as me.

Continued: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31357-6/fulltext

Abortion referendum aftermath: Is Northern Ireland next?

Abortion referendum aftermath: Is Northern Ireland next?
Its laws breach human rights, and its people back change, but politicians remain resistant

Sat, Jun 9, 2018
Fionola Meredith

The decisive vote for repeal in the Republic’s referendum on the Eighth Amendment to its Constitution sent a seismic jolt through Northern Ireland, where abortion remains illegal in almost all cases. It has intensified public conversation about the issue, inspiring pro-choice activists to renew their demands for a change in the law.

Last week, in a protest outside Belfast’s High Court, women from the socialist feminist organisation Rosa NI swallowed abortion pills while being filmed by police. The verdict in the South has also caused uncertainty and dismay in anti-abortion campaigners, who fear that, in the words of the slogan, the North is next.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/abortion-referendum-aftermath-is-northern-ireland-next-1.3522667

Government under pressure over ‘incompatible’ Northern Ireland abortion law

Government under pressure over ‘incompatible’ Northern Ireland abortion law
Pro-choice campaigners demand action after Supreme Court judges say ban on terminations needs ‘radical reconsideration’.

June 7 2018

The Government is facing mounting pressure to reform abortion laws in Northern Ireland after Supreme Court judges said they were incompatible with human rights legislation.

Pro-choice campaigners demanded action after a majority of Supreme Court judges said the ban on terminations in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality needed “radical reconsideration”.

Continued: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/government-under-pressure-over-incompatible-northern-ireland-abortion-law-36986743.html