Northern Ireland and abortion

[Nennypops]

Odd situation whereby women in N. Ireland don't have the same access to NHS services as women in England and Wales - www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27325363

It's crap.

Completely infuriating. Just alarmingly representative of how backwards things can be in NI.

I'm not pro-abortion or pro-life, just horrified that women don't have the choice in the right circumstances. It isn't an easy option.

It also means 'as early as possible' becomes 'unnecessarily late'.

Women in N.I pay the same taxes and should therefore be able to access same NHS services as the rest of the UK.

Absolutely.

Can they access abortion in Scotland ? I couldn't find any info on it.

Jenny only if they pay for it at a private clinic.

That estimate of the whole thing costing £900 is quite conservative, in my opinion. I think that could be doubled quite easily. I know someone who had to borrow about 2K when she needed one.

I don't mind if any NI mumsnetters want to use my identity to access abortion.

In the mean time, I'm going to write to my mp.

It's only NI that is out of step, England Scotland & Wales all have similar (the same?) laws.

And yes it is fucking disgraceful that a part of the UK has such restrictive laws around abortion.

One in ten N.I GPs sees the after effects of a back street abortion.

I know of someone had one when she was 13, and I don't want to go into details but it was horrendous

I hadn't heard that statistic, that is absolutely horrifying.

Its surely up to the people of Northern Ireland to decide on this issue as any attempt for Westminster to interfer would end in disaster. Everything I have read about this issue is that heavily restricted abortion has widespread support amongst both the Republicans and Unionists.

It's crap.
The majority of people in NI do not want to prevent women from having access to abortion IMO. That is old opinion. We especially should not be prevented women from being provided with NHS abortion in GB

This means that abortions are only available to those financially well off enough to travel to England, arrange the abortion, Pay privately and then travel home...alone ...unless their family can also afford to travel
Many of these girls try to fly home on the same evening after the abortion. A number borrow money from money lenders for the procedure and travel

In terms of our politicians All the unionist parties are run by religious men ( generally )and they hold a large proportion of the vote
Sinn Fein and the SDLP ( nationalist ) are anti abortion but weirdly Sinn Fein also says it's a woman's choice ( hardly if you are unable to make the choice )

Precious Life are printing flyers telling voters who is for and against abortion for the elections...to ensure that even those who want to abstain from voting are 'outed'

I think that it's awful that there has barely been a whimper in the UK. I know that if this happened to women in England I would be bloody furious

NI is a part of the UK and as such should not be allowed to impose hideously outdated laws that restrict women's human rights.

That's the beginning and end of it for me.

But buyter why shouldn't I have the same civil right as someone who lives in a different part of the UK solely due to religious reasons. Politicians here are forever telling us that religion & politics needs to be seperate. Nationalist politicians tell us it's they're looking out for civil rights, they campaigned for it for years etc, Unionist politicians are keen to hammer home the importance of Britishness, of being British citizens - apart from the right to have an abortion. I should have exactly the same right to NHS care & information as any other woman in the UK.

wigglesrock- Because in order to keep Nortern Ireland within the Union and try and control tensions there we agreed to let Northern Ireland have autonomy over certain issues of which the abortion limit is one. If we agree to do this then we have to accept that they may choose to have a policy which differs from our own as it does in this case. To wade in from Westminster and try to force Northern Ireland into changing its laws would be foolhardy in the extreme as it could destabilise a nation which is still fragile not least because it seems to be an issue where there appears to be a consensus.

Great news (not) we have replaced one twat of a health minister with an even worse one ! Women who find themselves pregnant following rape should not be allowed to choose abortion but made to have the child and give it up for adoption.

I wonder what the legal ramifications are if a woman reports a rape is identified as being pregnant and then had an abortion in uk, could she be prosecuted ? And would this impact on the likelihood of rapes being reported?

Appalling:( Awful comments genuinely terrifying in their lack of humanity, empathy and because of the real loathing of women the betray.

cabbages and Ronald do you have any hard evidence for what you are saying or is it just anecdotal?

Just read my post back hope it didn't come across wrong.
I meant that first paragraph to be what the dinosaur politicians think !

It's appalling.

This is a link to the story that brought about the current debate.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-24458241

Summary, woman carrying a fetus that had zero chance of survival because no brain or head had developed. She was told that she would have to carry the baby to term as there is no option for abortion in Northern Ireland even under these circumstances. She had to travel to England and pay to end the pregnancy.

It's fucking disgraceful, that women are subject to this in the UK.