www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-44268709
So the ripples of the fantastic result yesterday for Ireland carry on...
Bloody hell! i feel like I have woken up in a fantastic, tangibly hopeful for change alternative universe having campaigned on pro choice stuff for years.
Not a Times subscriber so link is to what the papers say on BBC 
but in short:
-the front page of the Times (!) is setting out the facts that NI is still under a 19th century abortion law, (offences against the person act) causing 3 women to travel to mainland Britain for abortion care.
-(Only recently have NI women (who are UK taxpayers like anyone else) been able to get their treatment costs covered by the NHS, they used to be in exactly the same position as women in RoI.)
-There isn’t the standard anti choice person being quoted in the Times saying women should get back in their box. This is really important influential stuff. Looks like the Times supports change- that influence should not be underestimated.
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influential top Tory women are quoted making pro choice arguments about extending the 1967 Abortion Act to NI in on-the-record numbers that May surely cannot ignore.
-there will be some Tory men that agree with them. Others will too and it’s a free vote issue so party whips can’t force MPs’ hands.
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Stella Creasy MP (lab) is suggesting the vehicle for extending the 1967 Act to NI could be a domestic violence bill she is working on. again, fantastic staunch support there. She will hopefully gather Labour support around this issue.
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Jacob Rees-Mogg MP (Con) is expected to try to lower the time limit - this is a serious threat and must not be underestimated.
-Tories have a history of trying to do this as a kind of thin end of the wedge attempt when they know they can’t get support for more fundamental restrictions on abortion. Rees Mogg has a lot of support incl as an alternative leader to Theresa May and he could use this issue as a means to coalesce support around himself if he did want to be a serious challenger to the PM.
-problems with that, being that if May can genuinely- or just self servingly claim- that her leadership is under threat, some MPs will vote against pro choice change proposed by this group of Tory women. Party before country etc.
-The only virtue May brings really is stability for the party riven over Brexit, so this is a powerful disincentive for change if she can spin it. Alternatively if some MPs want to get rid of May, they could be tempted to support Rees-Mogg and then women are seriously in trouble.
all this is absolutely amazing and wonderful to read and I really desperately hope that MPs will act on it.
Quick special mention to the Irish PM for his campaigning and welcoming the outcome saying we must trust women (so brilliant - just not something I have heard a UK PM say EVER..) I could not imagine May doing that. Really hope I am wrong, but.
I am still feeling really elated and hopeful and emotional about the Irish result- that has been such a hard won battle for Irish women) but it seriously feels that we need to be ready to organise again soon in the UK.
The UK needs a new act on abortion that enshrines as early as possible and as late as necessary.