Tag Archives: Abortion Services Northern Ireland

Abortion Services are a Health Issue to be defended and secured

Posted on by
Reply

The decision by the United States Supreme Court to nullify the constitutional right of women to access abortion services is alarming, dangerous and hypocritical.

In a country where it is perfectly legal for an 18-year-old to own and carry a gun it is now going to be illegal to provide a fundamental health service for pregnant women.

The Supreme Court decision is dangerous because it will signal the intensification by conservative and reactionary forces to roll back other progressive legislation like same sex marriage and even the right to access contraception and family planning services.

It is also potentially dangerous because it may be taken as a signal by anti- abortion groups here that they too can remove similar legislation from the statute books. That cannot be allowed to happen.

Women have the right to control their own bodies, including their fertility, and to pursue all reproductive choices.

Abortion services, family planning clinics and access to education and contraception are all health issues. They must be defended and secured.

Free, safe, legal, accessible and dignified

Posted on by
Reply

Services denied, services unavailable and open public harassment of women seeking abortion advice and support: that is the current reality for women in Northern Ireland.

Despite the introduction of legislation by Westminster almost two years ago abortion services and support are still not fully available to women in Northern Ireland.

With the Assembly again failing to meet its obligations to women, the welcome news is that the Secretary of State is to direct the Department of Health to commission free, safe and legal access to services by March 2022.

The continuing failure of the Assembly to deliver on women’s healthcare rights has continued to cause further hurt and trauma.

Previously, The Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) described the situation in which thousands of women and girls are forced to travel outside Northern Ireland to procure a legal abortion as a ‘grave and systematic violation of their rights’.

Women have the right to control their own bodies, including their fertility, and to pursue all reproductive choices.

Abortion is a class issue and this requires the clear recognition of a woman’s right to choose and the provision of free and safe abortion in her own country. That must include practical facilities to support both women seeking an abortion and quality post-abortion care. 

The organised and ongoing harassment of women seeking to avail of abortion healthcare facilities here continues to be of major concern. 

We oppose these groups, their abusive activities and their vile attempts to stigmatise and demonise women who choose to have, or who have had, abortions. A woman’s right to choose is a human right and it must be protected and upheld.

Abortion services must be made available

Posted on by
Reply
Women have the right to control their own bodies, including their fertility, and to pursue all reproductive choices.

Unless significant progress towards the full provision of abortion services across Northern Ireland is made in the coming months, the Secretary of State must mandate the Department of Health here to implement them without further delay.

Despite legislation being passed, at Westminster, last year introducing free, safe and legal abortion services for women in Northern Ireland, those services have failed to materialise for the most part.

There should be no obstacles placed in the way of full-service provision and no ground surrendered to the socially conservative lobby which is attempting to turn back the clock to the dark ages.

For anti-choice groupings and others to talk about Westminster ‘grabbing power’ while conveniently disregarding the power grabbed from women in the control of their own bodies, would be laughable if it were not so serious.

Similarly for local politicians to claim Northern Ireland is being treated with contempt while attempting to deny women autonomy over their own bodies is the height of hypocrisy.

Women have the right to control their own bodies, including their fertility, and to pursue all reproductive choices.

Any barrier to reproductive rights for women is also a barrier to full social, economic and political life including workplace equality. It is a woman’s human right to have autonomy over her own body.

Those rights need to be defended, secured and enshrined in Assembly proof legislation for as long as local conservative forces find common cause against the rights of women.