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08/05/2014
London High Court Ban Free Abortion For NI Women
The London High Court has ruled that Northern Ireland women are not legally allowed free abortions on the NHS in England.
The decision was made after a case was brought by two women who started a legal challenge against the current rule.
Abortion in Northern Ireland is only allowed in very restricted circumstances and it is covered under the 1861 Offences against the Person Act, and the Criminal Justice act from 1945, which rules the abortion is a criminal offence.
However, the rest of the UK, which is covered by the 1967 Abortion Act, permits terminations up to 24 weeks of pregnancy on the grounds of different risks for the woman health or abnormalities that could lead to a child being "seriously handicapped".
51 terminations were performed in NI hospitals in 2013 and more than 1,000 NI women travel each year to other parts of the UK to have an abortion paying their transport, accommodation and the cost of the procedure.
(CVS/CD)
The decision was made after a case was brought by two women who started a legal challenge against the current rule.
Abortion in Northern Ireland is only allowed in very restricted circumstances and it is covered under the 1861 Offences against the Person Act, and the Criminal Justice act from 1945, which rules the abortion is a criminal offence.
However, the rest of the UK, which is covered by the 1967 Abortion Act, permits terminations up to 24 weeks of pregnancy on the grounds of different risks for the woman health or abnormalities that could lead to a child being "seriously handicapped".
51 terminations were performed in NI hospitals in 2013 and more than 1,000 NI women travel each year to other parts of the UK to have an abortion paying their transport, accommodation and the cost of the procedure.
(CVS/CD)
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