Abortion provision in Northern Ireland: news update and some action to take if you'd like

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We've been contacted today by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, who are trying to draw attention to a lack of available termination services in Northern Ireland despite the change in the law that made these services legal.

RCOG says that according to a statement from the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, they regard the provision of abortion services as 'controversial' despite these services being decriminalised. And so rather than commissioning Northern Ireland health trusts to provide these services (as the NI Department of Health is supposed to do) they are instead referring these decisions upwards to the Assembly.

Meanwhile, many women with unwanted pregnancies in Northern Ireland are unable to access legal abortion services, with all of the distress and fear that that entails. Given COVID precautions and travel difficulties, even women who have the means to travel to England or Wales for abortions may find it impossible to do so.

RCOG comments that 'early medical abortion services in Northern Ireland are lawful but not accessible in some areas of the country, and the provision of services after 10 weeks’ gestation is non-existent in most areas.'

They also say 'There have already been at least two cases of attempted suicide by women in Northern Ireland unable to access care. We are also aware of a substantial increase (+28%) in women turning to unregulated methods of abortion during the pandemic.'

This struck us as something lots of you might want to do something about - so here are some actions you can take if you'd like to add your support to RCOG's letter today.

You can retweet their tweet about it, here;
You can contact Robin Swann MLA, Minister of Health in Northern Ireland, at his official address: Department of Health, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3SQ, asking him to prioritise a fully commissioned abortion service in Northern Ireland (see RCOG's letter, linked in the tweet above, for more details);
You can copy your letters or emails to Brandon Lewis MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

As ever, do let us know what you think and whether you receive any replies.

Thanks
MNHQ

Can we also include writing to Sinn Fein on this - whatever your political persuasion Sinn Fein ostracised a lot of of their voters when they supported abortion rights. It's on their agenda. I'd hope that they would also push this forward.

Thanks for this. What an appalling state of affairs. Not that far behind Poland’s current record on women’s rights - just paying pathetic lip service.

Thanks, I'll get writing over the weekend.

This is shocking, I had to travel to England some years ago. It made an awful time even worse & was added expense

I have seen the letter they have sent to the hospitals, in which they wrote that legally it must be set up, so they expect the trusts to do so, but that because they don't agree with it they refuse to fund it. Thanks Stormont.

@countdowntofriday

I have seen the letter they have sent to the hospitals, in which they wrote that legally it must be set up, so they expect the trusts to do so, but that because they don't agree with it they refuse to fund it. Thanks Stormont.

Could I just ask who sent the letter to the hospitals? Civil servants should be following the law so I would be shocked if it came from the Department of Health.

They are following it, by insisting that the services are provided within the legal timeframe. It just means it trusts had to self fund the extra services out of their current budget.

I can't remember who exactly wrote it, and having written this, I'm not going to risk outing myself by asking the powers that be to show me it again!

Thanks for info. I'll also be retweeting and sending an email.

Stormont only have enough money for boiler schemes and wind turbines not women

@countdowntofriday

They are following it, by insisting that the services are provided within the legal timeframe. It just means it trusts had to self fund the extra services out of their current budget.

I can't remember who exactly wrote it, and having written this, I'm not going to risk outing myself by asking the powers that be to show me it again!

Oh sorry, wasn't asking for that detail. Just was it the Department? But I see what you mean now. Looks like it'll fall between two stools then. Department will say legislation is in place and trusts will say we don't have the money. Depressing.

Sorry for the confusion. Of course please don't out yourself.

Thank you. Such an important issue and always good to have specific targeted actions highlighted.

I don't think it's a good idea to do anything that makes abortion easier or that put pressure on people to provide them unwillingly.

Thanks @RowanMumsnet.

Thanks HQ. It is appalling that this is still happening right now in the UK to our own citizens. NI citizens are paying into the NHS just like everyone else in the UK, but not are getting the basic essential women’s health care services they are (finally) legally entitled to.

It’s well known that women die when they can’t get access to safe legal abortion. How dare they count women’s lives for so little?

How sad that all this campaigning is to support terminations than to support the gift of life. What about being the voice and advocate of the unborn?

@Khadernawazkhan

How sad that all this campaigning is to support terminations than to support the gift of life. What about being the voice and advocate of the unborn?

Poland's Court Supreme decided few days ago, that terminations , because fetus is badly disformed are uncostitutional. Now Polish women can terminate pregnancy only if is result of rape or mother's life is in danger. They are big protests through Poland now. Very bad situation.

How sad that all this campaigning is to support terminations than to support the gift of life. What about being the voice and advocate of the unborn

You can campaign all you want to be the voice and advocate of the unborn what you can't and shouldn't do is campaign against my right to the same healthcare as any other woman in the UK.
This is a healthcare issue not a moral or religious one.

Thanks, MNHQ xx

Turefu and anyone else concerned about about Poland’s action against women: there are some threads on here including this one with suggestion that we contact our UK MPs to add our voices in protest, as well as other possible actions to take:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4063743-Polish-women-fighting-back-against-abortion-laws

Regarding the situation in Northern Ireland, prompted by this I will write to Robin Swann MLA, Minister of Health in Northern Ireland, and copy in Brandon Lewis MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. I will also be copying in my own constituency MP (I’m in England), firstly to remind them that their constituents care about safe, legal, accessible abortion being appropriately provided in whole of the UK, reflecting the law in the UK that has been made by MPs in the Westminster Parliament.

And secondly, to remind MPs in Westminster that after they voted for this provision to become legally possible, that the NI Department of Health have not facilitated it. So I will add that for the NI Department of Health to be allowed not to implement this legal provision because they view it as ‘controversial’ would be highly undemocratic overrreach (I’m putting that politely). Westminster MPs should be seeing to it that the will of Parliament is actually enacted in the UK.

Why can't we soften our hearts and see the beauty of new life? Let's campaign for the inalienable right to life rather than campaign for wider access to abortion.

Sounds like a goodbplan of action ChattyLion. I think I'll do the same.

*good plan.

Chatty that's great, thank you, I will follow your lead.

@Khadernawazkhan

Why can't we soften our hearts and see the beauty of new life? Let's campaign for the inalienable right to life rather than campaign for wider access to abortion.

Because the inalienable right to life never seems to extend to the mother. She's expendable.