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