Pro-choice councillor says any move to block rollout of services is ‘against democracy’
July 31, 2021
Pro-choice and anti-abortion campaigners have held separate protests in Belfast amid the deepening political row over the commissioning of abortion services in Northern Ireland.
The small-scale demonstrations in the city centre came after DUP First Minister Paul Givan threatened to block the British government’s move to formally direct Stormont to fully roll out abortion services in the region.
Sam Courtney-Guy
Friday 30 Jul 2021
Northern Ireland’s recently-appointed First Minister has vowed to resist the introduction of abortion services in the six counties.
Laws making abortion a criminal offence in Northern Ireland were abolished in 2019 as a result of a bill passed by MPs in Westminster.
‘This stalemate leaves me no choice,’ UK Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis tells Belfast leaders.
by SHAWN POGATCHNIK
July 22, 2021
The British government has ordered Northern Ireland’s coalition government to introduce full-fledged abortion services, more than a year after legislation passed in Westminster required this to happen.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis issued the order Thursday directing the U.K. region’s Department of Health and Health Minister Robin Swann to make Northern Ireland compliant with British abortion law.
Continued: https://www.politico.eu/article/britain-orders-northern-ireland-to-introduce-full-abortion-services/
By Jayne McCormack, BBC News NI political correspondent
July 22, 2021
Westminster has directed Stormont's Department of Health to set up full abortion services in Northern Ireland by no later than next March.
The government has intervened with a formal direction requiring Stormont to act.
Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57921537
David Young, PA
Mon, 19 July 2021
The UK Government is right to intervene to ensure the provision of abortion services in Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill has said.
The Sinn Fein deputy First Minister’s comments came ahead of an anticipated announcement from Secretary of State Brandon Lewis this week on the ongoing stand-off over the rollout of services in the region.
Continued: https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/uk-government-intervene-ni-abortion-151534373.html
By Jayne McCormack, BBC News NI political correspondent
July 19, 2021
The government will set out further steps this week on the commissioning of abortion services for Northern Ireland, BBC News NI understands.
In March, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis took new powers allowing him to direct Stormont to act.
Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57882472
John Breslin
July 04 2021
The numbers of women from Northern Ireland choosing to terminate their pregnancies has dramatically increased since the procedure was made legal last year.
As of June 11, the Department of Health had received 1,624 notifications of termination, despite the lack of a full and formal commissioning of the service here.
Charity’s plea for help and says messages to Health Minister have gone unanswered
Lisa Smyth
June 22 2021
Early medical abortions look set to be axed in Northern Ireland, meaning women will have to travel to England, pay for the service, or access the treatment over the internet.
In the latest blow for the campaign for safe and equitable healthcare for women, Informing Choices NI (ICNI) has said it will be forced to withdraw the access system if funding is not made available by this October.
Questions have been raised about why the local service collapsed when an Ulster University report shows that medical professionals are willing to provide the service
Garrett Hargan
21 Jun 2021
The Department of Health had said efforts are being made to reinstate an abortion service at Altnagelvin Hospital but it does not know how long it will take.
The Western Trust decided to suspend its Early Medical Abortion Service (EMA) in April ‘until further notice’.
Adam Payne
19 June 2021
Brandon Lewis has warned Stormont he is running out patience over its failure to implement abortion services in Northern Ireland and will not wait much longer to intervene.
The secretary of state for Northern Ireland told PoliticsHome that while he wanted to give the Executive and Assembly "space" to roll out abortion services, he was "not going to wait very long".
Continued: https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/brandon-lewis-abortion-northern-ireland-provision
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