To remind you about NI

[NowforNI]

There’s been a lot of discussion (and condemnation) on these threads about abortion laws in Alabama.

We still don’t have safe, legal abortion in all of the UK. 28 women a week have to travel from Northern Ireland to the mainland because they do not have access to the same medical services as women in the rest of the UK, despite paying for the NHS through taxation.

Women’s reproductive rights and autonomy over their own bodies are worth fighting for - please consider emailing your MP to keep this on the agenda.

Thank you!

nowforni.uk/#email

PS I’m not formally linked to the Now for NI campaign, I just think it’s bloody important

The sea change in the Republic of Ireland took years and a massive change in apolitically away from the traditional view that the church dictates what the political parties do. NI isn’t in that place yet. The yes campaign which was instrumental in the Irish referendum is trying to take on NI but it’s a tall order. Don’t forget the DUP who are propping up Theresa May are anti gay marriage anti gay in general and extremely anti anti abortion. They have an automatic veto in the NI assembly which means they can refuse to allow any parliamentary decisions on this. The best thing that could happen is for someone to force the issue while they are all slacking off and refusing to form an assembly. I’d say Arlene would be back in stormont by morning

Does anyone have a link to a NI charity or organisation which helps women with the costs associated with travel, etc,? I'd like to donate something which goes specifically for women struggling with this.

I don't think it's high on the agenda for NI people as there are other things that are more prominent in people's minds. Attitudes towards having babies/ families is different there also imo and there continues to be very religious sections who wouldn't want this to come in. Being from NI it has never ever come up in discussion amongst my friendship group or family, and I generally move in wide circles. Very few people I know would actively support it, or perhaps they would support it but they certainly don't talk about it.

I find it almost distasteful that the DUP insist on constantly peddling the rhetoric that NI is part of the United Kingdom, and that they go apoplectic at the thought NI would be treated differently (just look at the whole Brexit situ to see this in action).
But when it comes to women's healthcare... well, that's a different story. Then they're quite happy to deny us our reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, which our sisters in the rest of GB can (thankfully) access.
And don't get me started on their use of the Petition of Concern in Stormont...

@thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter Sure - my post was a bit clumsily worded and I agree, there are many amazing feminists doing great things here.

DonDadaOnTheDownLow Might be worth checking Bpas?

thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter to be honest it was actually on the FWR board that I felt most ignored and belittled. But there's no point rehashing old ground. I know there are lots of posters on MN who feel very strongly about supporting women's reproductive rights equally throughout the UK.

I just emailed my mp. Thanks for the prompt. Why get outraged about Alabama and do nothing about what’s happening in your own country? Seriously, we should get our own house in order.

NowforNI - yes there's a great many women on FWR whom I totally respect and admire for the tireless work they do. I've learnt so much from them, but it's so frustrating that there are plenty who don't think feminism is even relevant anymore.

It strikes me that in many ways, NI is a bit of a backwards country in terms of liberal thinking. My dd's father is from a small town near Belfast, and his parents are very religious, they were outraged by the gay cake shebang, and refer to people who aren't white Christians as foreign, dirty and as 'coloureds'. I was actually really quite shocked and horrified when I realised how many people in that town shared their views, so it doesn't come as a surprise that abortion is still illegal there.

Because not everything is about NI. Because NI could vote in a party who would change it where as Alabama are having this forced upon them and going backwards rather than forwards.

The campaign to decriminalise abortion across the UK.

Read that again: the campaign to decriminalise abortion across the UK.Thats our country, where some women have no access to terminations, no matter how desperate their situation.

nowforni.uk/

The NI assembly has been suspended, so I'm not clear how people in NI could vote to change the law . And one issue is that the rest of the UK looks the other way/ is ignorant/ doesn't care about NI/ feels that this part of OUR country is really somehow nothing to do with us.

Alabama is a democracy- in what sense have these measures been 'forced' on them?

@Comtesse thank you

Thanks for the reminder, op.

Woman rarely travel to Scotland as they dont provide one day early abortion service

www.sexualhealthscotland.co.uk/pregnancy/abortion-services-in-scotland-for-women-who-live-in-northern-ireland

By the logic of some on this thread the women in Alabama deserve exactly what is happening to them because they could've just voted in different people

NI, for being such a small place, has an incredibly complex intersect between politics and religion and it's not in any way as straightforward as voting for different people. Sinn Fein are, albeit relatively recently, a pro-choice party - however many of their members, never mind their electorate would not vote to legalise abortion. The SDLP are historically a pro-life party though many of their voters would vote to legalise. Unionist pro-choice people will not vote Sinn Fein no matter what their abortion stance. Theres not a chance in hell the DUP will allow a referendum in the first place so it would take a change in the parties first to force the issue. The Alliance I think would schism in a abortion referendum though the Greens and PBP would hold together as pro-choice.

And none of this matters anyway since we don't have a government with no end in sight...

I'm so glad my child bearing days are over.

@justdog
My in laws are from the east end of London and use those same disgusting slurs against non- whites, and Easter Europeans. There are racists and small minded people everywhere- even in the cosmopolitan city of London.

@bruthas thanks for the further context.

I’m not sure a referendum is the answer - obviously there’s been success in the Republic with referendums, but I’m quite sceptical of referendum for minority issues (and I’d class women’s issues as minority issues due to power imbalances etc.) as it feels very risky to ask a majority to vote on issues only impacting a minority. It’s a really tricky one as to what the best political vehicle is, and in getting the timing right

@NowforNI Not as much as it grates on me, NI has some really antiquated laws, start voting for the right party, women need to start having there voices heard.

The problem is we have very complex historical political parties and even if people do want a change they won’t vote for the party that is offering to do exactly that as they aren’t the same background! Until it’s no longer “green” or “orange” nothing will change and whilst no one is doing their job in Stormont anyway

Thanks for the link Evidencebased
I’ve emailed my MP.

@NowforNI, thank you, yes women here (I am in NI) we deserve the same rights as the women in the rest of the island and the women in the UK. For those who state they resent money spent on us and those kinder souls who say no it's ok we don't mind I would point out that we work we pay taxes and contribute a sizeable amount of doctors, nurses, and teachers to the rest of the UK.

I haven't forgotten NI...or Gibraltar for that matter. Both are fighting against an old system that does not want to recognise the right to a woman being in control of her own body.

But I'm honestly gutted that a modern country like USA could actually allow States to take a step back and condemn women to either be unwilling incubators for children or to act desperately in order to end their pregnancy.