A Belfast court has granted leave for a judicial review into the decision of the public prosecution service to prosecute a woman under the abortion ban.\u00a0 Unlike the rest of the UK, the 1967 Abortion Act does not apply in Northern Ireland. It is a criminal offence to have an abortion there, even if a woman conceives as a result of rape or incest, or in the event of fatal foetal abnormality.\u00a0 A number of woman have faced prosecution for breaking the ban within the last year.\u00a0 The court has granted leave to review a case in which a woman has been charged with helping her teenage daughter to access abortion pills in order to perform a termination. The woman was arrested last year and is still awaiting trial.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Grainne Teggart, Northern Ireland Campaign Manager of Amnesty International said:\u00a0\u201cWe welcome the decision of the court to grant leave to challenge the decision to prosecute a mother for procuring abortion pills for her daughter \u2013 she is not a criminal, her daughter is not a criminal. Abortion is a healthcare and human rights issue and the law must stop treating Northern Ireland women who need abortions as criminals.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is wrong that the mother has been treated like a common criminal for attempting to help her daughter by sourcing medication, which is prescribed free on the NHS in every other part of the UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis case highlights, yet again, that making abortion illegal does not stop women in Northern Ireland needing or seeking terminations. In the absence of a government and a legislature willing to deal with such matters, we once again look to the courts to remedy the wrongs created by our abortion laws.\u201d<\/p>\n
In April of last year a 21-year-old woman was convicted of committing an abortion and given a suspended sentence. The court was told she performed an abortion on herself at home when she was 19 and her flat mates found out and reported her to the police.<\/p>\n
In November 2015, the Belfast High Court found Northern Ireland’s abortion ban is a breach of international human rights law.<\/p>\n
However, the Northern Ireland Assembly voted against a proposal to relax the ban.<\/p>\n
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Source\u00a0 independent.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"