To not know abortion is still illegal in Northern Ireland...

[sevendwarves]

unless the pregnant woman's life is in danger?

Am I just being ignorant? I know they're Catholic but come on, it's 2011, I assumed it was legal but frowned upon!

oh dear sevendwarves, you really are ill informed. "they're Catholic" - incredible

Your opening post show's your ignorance the majority of those in N.I are Protestant.

The minority are Catholic.

not legal in the Republic, either

and yes, clearly OP has never listened to the news, ever. Although the demographic is shifting, apparently

I'm sure it's because they don't want the extra 4000 or so Irish women arriving every year looking for abortions. Much easier to make them fly over to the UK than upset the northerners...

It's actually one of the things that both the Catholic and Protestant communities in NI agree on, on the whole (I don't).

Protestants in NI tend to be of the Presbyterian/Methodist end of the spectrum rather than the slightly more pragmatic Anglian church. So they tend to disapprove of abortion just as much as the Catholic church.

whoo hoo, its stupid day!

Lots of people disapprove of abortion, not just catholics.

I think you are just being ignorant.

Mether but you would'nt have to because you could fly to England and have a private abortion if you so wished.

This is not just a "catholic" issue. It's a moral issue. Both sides of the community support this position.

You could travel to the UK for an abortion you don't have to have the baby.

I didn't know this until a couple of years ago either, and was quite horrified when I found out.

I only found out from reading a thread on here, I think it was a couple of months ago.

There are several organisations against legalising abortion in NI including the Free Presbyterian Church.
Maybe you should do a bit more reading OP?

i didn't know that either. i assumed that being part of the british isles it would be legal. makes you wonder if we really are such a "united kingdom" after all.

there's an organisation called abortion support network that offers funds/accommodation to northern irish women forced to come over here for an abortion. it's easy to say that they can just come to the uk - in practice that's a trip of at least £500.

Actially, I assumed it was to do with religion too, just because NI is associated with it.
I think because we hear, or used to, lots about NI and religion, I assumed that people from NI are quite religious generally and so did not agree with abortion

That probably does make me ignorant, but you have to learn somewhere.

Where I live is very Catholic/Protestant and I know many people who are anti abortion, moreso than when I've lived anywhere else.

OP, I didn't know this til I read your post (and I read the news at least three times a day).

That's terrible, though. Why not? I don't mean to say abortion's a great thing but stressful expensive traveling to an abortion or, worse, a back street abortion, really should be weighed against this law. Ridiculous.

Stupid, isn't it. You'd think all British women would have the same rights.

Thing is, the NI political landscape is such that those elected to power tend to hold fairly entrenched religious views (of whatever flavour).

And a country run mainly by middle-aged, deeply religious men is unlikely to warmly embrace a woman's right to choose and the like (eg homosexuality decriminalised in Britain, 1967; in NI, 1982)

I find it strange that abortion is illegal in NI. As it is part of Britain, women there shouldn't be at a disadvantage to women living in the rest of Britain. I think the NHS should pay for women in NI to travel to England, Wales or Scotland so that they can have an abortion without having to stress about paying for it.