abortion law

The curious case of the Department of Health

Sarah Creighton on June 30, 2020, 9:31 am

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Abortion has been legal in Northern Ireland for over a year now. Under the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020, terminations up to 12 weeks are now lawful. Abortions after 12 weeks are heavily restricted. Terminations are available up to 24 weeks if there is a risk to the mental or physical health of the woman. There is no time limit where there is a fatal fetal abnormality. With the law firmly in place, it was expected that the commissioning of …

Now and Then

Sarah Creighton on October 21, 2019, 8:59 am

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TW: This article contains references to sexual and domestic violence. On the 24th October 2017, the UK Supreme Court considered Northern Ireland’s abortion laws. The case was taken by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. In its judgment on the 7th June 2018, the Court found that the Commission did not have standing to take the case but found, obiter, that Northern Ireland’s laws breached Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. The High Court in Belfast made …

In summary, health professionals considered the current situation to be professionally untenable.

David McCann on April 25, 2018, 11:21 am

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The delayed report of the Working Group on fatal fetal abnormality has been released today. Here are the key findings; 5. Health professionals said that, in their professional opinion, retaining the existing legal constraints would continue to place an unacceptable burden on women’s health and wellbeing. 6. Health professionals felt that they were unable to fully meet their duty of care to their patients, particularly when a woman asked for a termination in the interests of her health and wellbeing …

The struggle over abortion reform will continue in the courts and outside the Assembly

Brian Walker on January 27, 2017, 12:57 am

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The UK national papers have shown more interest in the case of a mother who obtained abortion pills for her 15 year old daughter than the latest twists and turn of the RHI affair. No doubt this is because even abortion issues are more readily understandable than RHI and they have points of comparison to make with the permissive English regime which in their views show up Northern Ireland once again as a reactionary backwater. Full reports appeared in the Independent …

Why not to demonise those who don’t support full abortion law reform

Soapbox on April 8, 2016, 5:03 pm

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Kate Nicholl is a former candidate for the Alliance Party. She writes for us today on the issue of abortion rights & in defence of those who oppose an extension of the 1967 act. I’m going to say something unpopular about abortion. And defend those who don’t support the extension of the 1967 Act. Right now there is a very real debate going on in our society about a woman’s right to choose. For the past 4 years I worked …

Abortion pressure continues slowly, slowly

Brian Walker on June 11, 2015, 12:13 pm

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Two interesting blasts from non-natives in the abortion debate have appeared in – can you guess? Yes! – in the Guardian and the Independent. In the Indy, London-based Siobhan Fenton has been combing the statistics just out, to find that that 828 women who had abortions in England and Wales last year gave Northern Ireland addresses and 3754 were recorded as coming from the Republic. Almost certainly these figures are an underestimate, the real NI figure being around 2000, according …

A U-Turn on Abortion?

Robert Campbell on May 1, 2015, 4:25 pm

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David Ford (Alliance), the Justice Minister in the NI Assembly, issued a consultation (which I wrote about here) about reform of abortion law in N Ireland, though he restricted it to fatal (lethal) foetal abnormality and pregnancy after rape and incest. Following this, he issued his recommendations (which I discussed here), including: After full and careful consideration of the evidence submitted, I have concluded that to change the law along the lines outlined in the consultation paper is the right …

Change in the abortion laws in Ireland north and south likely to be glacial and conservative

Mick Fealty on October 14, 2013, 3:03 pm

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The tragic case of Sarah Ewart’s opens up another round of discussions on the appropriateness of current abortion laws, both and south of the border. In this respect both jurisdictions on the island have much more in common than in Britain where the liberal 1967 abortion law legalises a woman’s right to choose in almost every circumstance. In Ireland the guidelines that exist are often not well understood, even by those at the heart of the operation of the state’s …

Flaws in Enda Kenny’s case on abortion exposed as the hierarchy brings out the ex factor

Brian Walker on May 19, 2013, 12:52 pm

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The next Catholic primate of Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin has told the Sunday Times( £ ) “You cannot regard yourself as a person of faith and support abortion,” Martin said in an interview with The Sunday Times. “You cannot believe you are with your church and directly help someone to procure an abortion. This includes medical professionals and the legislators. If a legislator comes to me and says, ‘Can I be a faithful Catholic and support abortion?’ I would say …

Red C Poll: The trend lines between FG and FF softly narrowing…

Mick Fealty on December 3, 2012, 12:33 pm

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The most interesting aspect of yesterday’s Red C poll, was the 80 plus per cent in favour of legislating on the circumstances in which an abortion might be legally reformed in the Republic. That would put some pure green (not to mention socially liberal) water between the north and the south on the matter. Only 10% said No, and a mere 5% Don’t Know. But on the political front, there’s been some interesting shifts in government ratings, with Fine Gael …

Ireland in desperate need of its own set of secular morals and ethics?

Mick Fealty on November 14, 2012, 11:28 am

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There’s a rather disturbing story on the front page of today’s Irish Times, which recounts the tragic case of Savita Halappanavar. Despite the fact that she was found to be miscarrying Savita was denied an abortion because ‘the foetal heartbeat was still present and they were told, “this is a Catholic country”.’ Here’s a fuller account of what happened: Speaking from Belgaum in the Karnataka region of southwest India, Mr Halappanavar said an internal examination was performed when she first …

The principled barbarity that can happen in a “Catholic country”

Brian Walker on November 14, 2012, 11:08 am

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Excellent reporting by Kitty Holland and Paul Cullen in the Irish Times, that is all the more compelling for being dispassionate. Who will raise as voice against such shame? The doctor told us the cervix was fully dilated, amniotic fluid was leaking and unfortunately the baby wouldn’t survive.” The doctor, he says, said it should be over in a few hours. There followed three days, he says, of the foetal heartbeat being checked several times a day. “Savita was really in …

Stalling on abortion law reform North and South

Brian Walker on October 22, 2012, 2:21 pm

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Let me try to offer some context on abortion law, with the health warning that I’m not a lawyer. The law on abortion in both parts of Ireland is in question because of a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights almost two years ago which I among others drew attention to at the time. Does that ruling compel the Republic and the North to legalise abortion on demand up to 24 weeks or anything like it ? No …