The Department for Women and Equalities announced that they would cover the cost of abortions for NI women and pregnant people, and travel and accommodation for those who meet the criteria. The Central Booking System is not up and running yet however so we have put together a few Questions and Answers for what to do until it is.
Alliance for Choice Needs You!
Alliance for Choice has some opportunities for activists in December 2017.
As well as our weekly city centre stall, we need around 20 volunteers to help with a travelling pop-up exhibition called “My Body My Life” which will be installed in the University of Ulster’s Unique Art and Design shop in Belfast from 5th to the 10th of December.
Pro-choice campaigners welcome British government’s pledge to fund abortions for women from Northern Ireland
A government scheme to provide free abortion services in England for women
travelling from Northern Ireland is today welcomed by the London-Irish Abortion
Rights Campaign, Abortion Support Network, Alliance for Choice, Amnesty
International UK, the Family Planning Association, the British Pregnancy
Advisory Service (bpas), Marie Stopes UK, and Stella Creasy MP.
The plans were revealed at Westminster by Equalities Minister Justine Greening, just
days before the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the 1967 Abortion Act. The
Act legalised abortion in certain circumstances in England, Wales and Scotland, but
not Northern Ireland.
Emma Campbell of Alliance for Choice said: “Alliance for Choice breathe a sigh of relief for the thousands of women and pregnant people that will now find it financially easier to access abortion treatment in England. Fewer women will now have to risk prosecution just because they cannot afford to pay for an abortion. We hope that this progress will not stop the push for true equality, when abortion seekers in NI will no longer be exiled for healthcare.”
Legal challenge to Northern Ireland’s abortion law to begin in Supreme Court
The Supreme Court in London will tomorrow hear a case being brought by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) who will state that the current NI abortion law with regards to cases of rape, incest, or serious foetal anomaly is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Currently, abortion is unlawful in Northern Ireland unless it is necessary to preserve the life of the woman, carrying a potential sentence of up to life imprisonment. In 2015/16, just 16 abortions were performed in Northern Ireland, which together with the previous year represents the lowest number on record. In 2015, 833 women from Northern Ireland travelled to England for abortion care.
Alliance for Choice at the Abortion Rights Campaign March for Choice 2017
The Abortion Rights Campaign activists have been quietly and diligently working very hard for months to make this magnificent march happen. They are all volunteers from; graphic designers, to the steward coordinators, posterers, media workers, artists, staging organisers and sound system runners, speakers, t-shirts, high vis, legal observers, speak-out organisers, treasurers, permissions from Gardai and a million other vital and challenging tasks, all down to the very last social media commentator. No-one gets paid and everyone does this in their free time.
The regional turnout itself was an incredible testament to the hard work done in terms of outreach and education, some things that AFC also value highly on our journey to free, safe and legal abortion. Our specific legislation may be different across the border, but we know that the stories are the same. Stories of secrecy, of desperation to raise enough cash in time, of wondering who to go to for help, who to confide in when the health system lets you down, where to stay, who to talk to when you need to take pills in these jurisdictions, how to not face the wrath of the law... our fight is one and the same and our enemy is the political establishment.
This long fight toward freedom and full recognition as equals, is built on the shoulders of every feminist in Ireland who came before us. The March saw women, men, trans and non-binary people from every generation, those who remember DIY abortions before the EMA pill, those who remember the advent of the 1967 Act, right down to those born under the 8th Amendment. Every one of those 40,000 (at least!) people felt strongly enough about a woman's right to choose that they donned their walking shoes and took to the streets.
What was different this year than in previous years? Aside from the huge growth in marching numbers, there was the public, in previous years they have been bystanders, this year they were supporters, many in Repeal jumpers, free safe legal t-shirts and some even with home-made supportive placards. We are witnessing the turnaround of a whole people, we are coming out of the dark times that locked women up and forced them into slavery for the crime of being pregnant, finally, even the general public in Ireland are willing to openly support the idea that every child should be a wanted child and every mother a willing one.
We can all safely say after Saturday, that a change is gonna come and yes, the march was an incredible endorsement to the power of sisterhood and a well needed boost in our energy before the battle ahead, but marching alone won't bring about change and there is so much more work to be done.
If you are in the South of Ireland you can get involved: https://www.abortionrightscampaign.ie/get-involved/
Or Donate: https://www.abortionrightscampaign.ie/get-involved/donate/
If you are in the North you can get involved:
http://www.alliance4choice.com/get-involved/
Or Donate: https://localgiving.org/charity/alliance4choice/
Also Rally for Choice in the North are holding a Rally in Belfast on the 14th October:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1476720819052756/
Alliance for Choice at the Labour Party Conference
"The lack of a working Assembly in Northern Ireland means that we are likely to be entering a period of direct rule from Westminster which could present an ideal opportunity to lobby for abortion law reform in Northern Ireland, for at least that equal to the rest of the UK. Now that abortion in NI is firmly on the radar of the opposition parties, we will be working hard to ensure they take action on it. The Labour Party Conference attendance proved to be a fortuitous move. We had 100% support from delegates and many of the higher profile attendees made a particular effort to visit our stall.
Now is the time to accelerate our campaign!
While the initial announcement of funding seemed like a chink of light, two months on and we still don’t have details of the scheme, the government has forced MSI to backtrack on free appointments in Belfast, and local civil servants in lieu of a government are dissuading doctors from telling patients about the possibility of funded treatment in GB. We are still bereft of a clear care pathway for those requiring abortions and medical professionals continue to have to muddle through the best care.
The role of activists in the battle for abortion access in Northern Ireland
In this post, Ulster University academic Dr Fiona Bloomer, sheds light on the work of abortion rights activism in Northern Ireland.
Little-Pengelly’s ‘factual summary’ doesn’t reflect reality of abortion law in Northern Ireland
Recently elected DUP MP Emma Little-Pengelly had a go at setting out the facts on abortion law in Northern Ireland. She is a qualified barrister and has years of experience in the Office of the First and deputy First Minister, first as a Special Adviser and then as Junior Minister of the same office, recently renamed as the ‘Executive Office’.
While Little-Pengelly’s summary is not inaccurate, in terms of the wording of the legislation and case law, it does not reflect the true picture of the lack of abortion access in Northern Ireland. Let’s go through each of her statements in turn.
Briefing Note – Different models of abortion legislation
A limited number of legal abortions are performed in Northern Ireland, within the strict legal framework. However following the publication of draft guidelines[i] in 2013 there has been a ‘chilling effect’ on medical practitioners. This has seen the number of legal NHS abortions a year fall from around 50, to just 16[ii] in 2015/2016. Meanwhile around 1000[iii] women a year travel to England for private abortion care and around 400 obtain safe but illegal pills from Women on Web. These numbers are estimates only and true figures cannot be known.
[i] Draft Termination of Pregnancy Guidance (2013) https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/consultations/dhssps/termination-pregnancy-responses-2013.pdf
[ii] NI Termination of Pregnancy Statistics 2015/16 https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/news/ni-termination-pregnancy-statistics-201516
[iii] Abortion Statistics in England and Wales for 2015 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/report-on-abortion-statistics-in-england-and-wales-for-2015
Why we need to decriminalise abortion
One of our writers gives an overview of the current legal situation surrounding abortion access in Northern Ireland as well as Alliance for Choice's campaign for free, safe and legal abortion, and why decriminalisation is so important.
Choice, Medicine and the Life of a Student: Another year, yet another election for Northern Ireland
Our in house Medical Student for Choice discusses our most recent assembly election and candidate's positions on the matter of choice, as well as the importance of transfer votes.
International Women's Day 2017 Address for Angela Davis' visit to Belfast
A speech delivered by Kellie O'Dowd, co-chair of AfC, on International Women's Day 2017, on Angela Davis' visit to Belfast and the importance of abortion access.
Voice for Choice response to Nuffield Council on Bioethics Report: Non-invasive prenatal testing: ethical issues
Voice for Choice response to Nuffield Council on Bioethics Report: Non-invasive prenatal testing: ethical issues
MLA Candidate's stance on abortion, #AE17
We have compiled this spreadsheet of all of the MLA candidates and their stances on abortion law reform for the NI Assembly Election on March 2nd 2017.
#trustwomen #AE17
Choice, Medicine and the Life of a Student: 2nd Year Medical Student and Pro-Choice Advocate at QUB
Our in-house Medical Student for Choice discusses her experience of the FIAPAC Conference on Abortion and Contraception in Lisbon, October 2016.
Debunking the Myths
"The health risks attributed to pregnancy and giving birth are not used as a tool to restrict women and their choices to become mothers, so risks of abortion should not be used to restrict women in their choice to not be pregnant.
Emergency Reproductive Healthcare; UK and beyond
ASN can offer financial assistance, accommodation in volunteer homes and confidential, non-judgmental information and advice. However, we are not doctors or counsellors. For medical information, help to make your decision, or early medical abortion pills by post, these organisations may be able to help. This list includes local family planning agencies, abortion clinics in England, The Netherlands and Belgium, and reputable providers of safe but illegal abortion pills. Scroll down.
Foreign Policy magazine names Derry women Diana King, Colette Devlin and Kitty O’Kane as joint winners of one of their Global Thinkers Awards for 2016.
Three women from Northern Ireland are in Washington to receive a prestigious award for their pro-choice activism. Foreign Policy magazine has named Derry women Diana King, Colette Devlin and Kitty O’Kane as joint winners of one of their Global Thinkers Awards for 2016.
A journey into abortion advocacy
A journey into abortion advocacy