Abortion: Legal challenge begins over NI abortion law

Nov 8, 2022
By Jayne McCormack, BBC News NI political correspondent

A challenge to the government's legal authority to establish abortion services in Northern Ireland is under way in the Court of Appeal.

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (Spuc) argues it should be for Stormont politicians to decide on the issue.

In February, the High Court rejected its challenge, upholding steps taken by former NI Secretary Brandon Lewis.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-63556861

08.11.2022

Society for the Protection of Unborn Children

US Donors Are Helping Push Anti-Abortion Agendas in British Schools

A British anti-abortion group that gives talks in schools has received over £72,000 from the US over the last 2 years, VICE World News can reveal.

By Sophia Smith Galer
May 30, 2022

An anti-abortion group in the UK that gives talks to schoolchildren and medical professionals about what it terms “coerced abortion” is receiving tens of thousands of dollars from anonymous US-based backers, VICE World News can reveal.

Nearly £73,000 ($91,885, €85,330) has been donated anonymously via a donor agency called NPT Transatlantic in the past two years to the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child’s (SPUC) registered charity, one of the UK’s most active anti-abortion groups. The agency allows US and UK taxpayers to donate to organisations across the Atlantic without revealing their name and without qualifying for any tax deduction.

Continued: https://www.vice.com/en/article/93be83/anti-abortion-schools-uk

NI secretary can direct establishment of abortion services, judge rules

Anti-abortion group claimed only elected representatives in North should decide on issue

Tue, Feb 8, 2022,
Alan Erwin

The Northern Ireland secretary has the legal authority to direct the establishment of abortion services in the region, a judge as ruled at Belfast High Court.

Mr Justice Colton rejected a challenge by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) to Brandon Lewis’ powers to impose a deadline on Stormont for putting in place a centralised system.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/ni-secretary-can-direct-establishment-of-abortion-services-judge-rules-1.4796919

08.02.2022

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Brandon Lewis

commissioning abortion services

Justice Colton

NI Human Rights Commission

Society for the Protection of Unborn Children

SPUC

UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Facebook and Google condemned over ads for ‘abortion pill reversal’

Adverts promoting ‘dangerous, unproven and unethical’ procedure shown millions of times, study finds

Alex Hern, Technology editor
Wed 15 Sep 2021

Facebook has served “abortion reversal” adverts 18.4m times since January 2020, according to a report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), promoting an “unproven, unethical” and “dangerous” procedure.

Google shows the adverts on more than four-fifths of searches related to abortion across a number of US cities, according to the CCDH research, targeted at search terms such as “unwanted pregnancy” and “abortion pill”.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/15/facebook-and-google-condemned-over-ads-for-abortion-pill-reversal

N. Ireland – Papers lodged in legal challenge against abortion regulations

Published 24 May 2021

Pro-life campaigners have formally lodged proceedings in Belfast against regulations giving the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland powers to direct the commissioning of abortion services.

Belfast law firm Hewitt & Gilpin has been instructed by the Centre for Bioethical Reform Northern Ireland (CBRNI) and the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) to mount a challenge to the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021.

Continued: https://www.irishlegal.com/article/papers-lodged-in-legal-challenge-against-abortion-regulations

24.05.2021

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Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021

anti-choice lawsuit

Centre for Bioethical Reform Northern Ireland

commissioning abortion services

constitutional right to abortion

John Larkin

Society for the Protection of Unborn Children

UK women are being ‘used as guinea pigs’ by ‘abortion reversal’ doctors

openDemocracy investigation reveals spread of controversial treatment that claims to ‘reverse’ abortions, supported by US Christian right

Nandini Archer
25 March 2021

“We do help hundreds of women every day in the UK,” said a tired-sounding American woman who spoke to an openDemocracy undercover reporter in the middle of her night. “We’re like the international abortion pill reversal line.”

So-called ‘abortion pill reversal’ (APR) treatment was invented by a controversial anti-abortion doctor in California. It prescribes high doses of progesterone, a hormone, after the first of two pills used for medical abortions.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/uk-women-are-being-used-as-guinea-pigs-by-abortion-reversal-doctors/

UK Government vote on NI abortion regulations put on hold

UK Government vote on NI abortion regulations put on hold

May 08 2020

The UK Government’s vote on controversial abortion regulations in Northern Ireland has been put on hold.

However, the regulations put forward by Secretary of State Brandon Lewis at the end of March continue to apply.

Continued: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/uk-government-vote-on-ni-abortion-regulations-put-on-hold-39191479.html

08.05.2020

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Grainne Teggart

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Another US anti-abortion extremist sticks his nose into UK’s affairs

Another US anti-abortion extremist sticks his nose into UK’s affairs

March 19, 2020
by Barry Duke

FOLLOWING our March 15 report that Roger Kiska, above, of Alliance Defending Freedom, was voicing his anger over an exclusion area outside a London abortion clinic, comes news that another American – ‘pro-life’ congressman Chris Smith, above – is demanding that the British government reverse its decision to impose UK abortion laws on Northern Ireland.

According to far-right Christian website LifeSiteNews, Smith has written to the UK Secretary of State for N Ireland calling on him to refer the province’s abortion laws back to the region’s own devolved government. In a letter co-signed by fellow members of Congress Andy Harris, Ann Wagner and Vicky Hartzler, Smith wrote:

Continued: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thefreethinker/2020/03/another-us-anti-abortion-extremist-sticks-his-nose-into-uks-affairs/

UK – Why anti-abortion activists are targeting UK universities

Why anti-abortion activists are targeting UK universities
National Union of Students reports rise of pro-life groups on campuses

Jan 6, 2020
Gabriel Power

Anti-abortion activists are increasingly targeting UK university campuses in a bid to recruit students to pro-life causes, according to a new study by the National Union of Students (NUS).

The number of anti-abortion societies in university students’ unions nationwide has risen just eight in 2018 to 14. The increase comes despite “fierce opposition from students who are overwhelmingly pro-choice”, says The Guardian, which reports that “some student unions have been threatened with legal action if they attempt to prevent anti-abortion groups opening on campus”.

Continued: https://www.theweek.co.uk/105079/why-anti-abortion-activists-are-targeting-uk-universities

‘Americanized’ anti-abortion protests are on the rise in the UK. But a fight back has begun

'Americanized' anti-abortion protests are on the rise in the UK. But a fight back has begun

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN
Tue July 9, 2019

London (CNN) Monika Neall was standing outside an abortion clinic in Manchester when she saw a woman in her mid-20s dart out the doors. The woman moved towards a parked car, then suddenly froze.

On the ground nearby lay plastic fetus models, candles and images of mothers gazing adoringly at babies. Panicking, she caught Neall's eye. "That's my car," she said, her voice starting to crack.

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/09/europe/anti-abortion-manchester-protests-uk-gbr-intl/index.html