‘Critical step’: UK government to commission abortion services in Northern Ireland amid gridlock

The UK government has announced plans to commission abortion services in Northern Ireland in a move celebrated by pregnancy termination providers.

Chris Heaton-Harris, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, has committed to ensuring services are available in the wake of political gridlock between politicians in the region over abortion services.

Abortion was banned in almost all circumstances, even rape and incest, with women seeking terminations facing life imprisonment, until the procedure was legalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019.

But the government has not set up any commissioned abortion services and access across the region is patchy. This means women are still having to take lengthy trips to get terminations - with 161 people going all the way to England to have an abortion in 2020-21.

Mr Heaton-Harris, who is due to meet chief executives of health trusts, said: “Three years on from the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland, we will be ensuring the commissioning of abortion services by the UK government”.

It was “unfortunate” they have “been forced to commission these services, in what should be a matter for the Department of Health to implement”, he added.

Mr Heaton-Harris said: “However, the government has been left with no other option, as women and girls of Northern Ireland have been without safe and high-quality services, with many having to travel to the rest of the UK to access healthcare to which they are legally entitled. That is unacceptable.”

Grainne Teggart, of Amnesty International UK’s Northern Ireland arm, said the announcement marks a critical step towards ending the denial of abortion healthcare.

She added: “Westminster has yet again had to intervene to ensure people aren’t denied their right to abortion, exposing the clear failure of Health Minister Robin Swann to protect and support women and healthcare professionals.”

Ms Teggart urged the government to run an information campaign to make sure people understand their right to abortion and how they can go about getting one.

It comes after a study by the leading global human rights organisation last week found only around half of people in Northern Ireland realise abortion is legal despite terminations being decriminalised in the region three years ago.

The research also discovered just one in ten women in Northern Ireland know how to access abortion services.

Commenting on this week’s announcment, Louise McCudden, of MSI Reproductive Choices, a leading UK abortion provider, said: "We are glad to support those who currently travel from Northern Ireland to England for abortion care, but the fact is, the journey shouldn't be necessary in the first place.

"Now the government must turn this commitment into access with adequate funding.”