Northern Ireland Humanists has called for safe access to legal abortions and an end to prosecutions following news that a woman has been reported to police and charged in connection with using abortion pills after seeing medical help.
Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland except on grounds of health whereas women in England, Scotland and Wales are allowed to have an abortion within the first 24 weeks of their pregnancy if it is carried out in a hospital or a licensed clinic. The purchase and use of abortion pills is illegal throughout the UK.
‘This can’t go on any longer,’ said Boyd Sleator, coordinator for Northern Ireland Humanists. ‘We cannot prosecute any more women in Northern Ireland. Women need safe access to legal abortions and Westminster must do something about this immediately’.
‘At Northern Ireland Humanists, we trust women to make decisions around their own reproductive health,’ said Sleator. ‘Westminster must address the human rights aspects of abortion in Northern Ireland. Human rights are not devolved and Westminster are obliged to step in when they are violated.’
Last year, a High Court judge ruled that abortion laws in Northern Ireland were a breach of human rights for women and girls. In September, Dr Caroline Gannon, one of Northern Ireland’s two paediatric pathologists, quit her job because of her dismay over Northern Ireland legislation. Dr Gannon said, ‘The final straw was having to advise a couple to use a picnic cooler bag to return their baby’s remains to Northern Ireland following an abortion in England’.
A recent review of the ‘Abortion Guidelines’ stated that staff are still legally required to report an abortion has taken place but it was acceptable for them not to for reasons of patient confidentiality.
‘This amounts to a “don’t ask – don’t tell” policy which is not a safe or compassionate way to treat vulnerable women going through the process of an abortion,’ said Sleator.
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For more information and comment contact: boyd.sleator@humanists.uk
Northern Ireland Humanists is part of the British Humanist Association, working with the Humanist Association of Ireland. The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.
The British Humanist Association is a member of the BPAS ‘We Trust Women’ campaign which seeks to decriminalise abortion throughout the UK. Read about the We Trust Women campaign: http://www.wetrustwomen.org.uk/
Read more about the BHA’s position on sexual health and reproductive rights: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/public-ethical-issues/sexual-and-reproductive-rights/