Abortion services are a priority, says Hargey
SINN Fein is set to challenge the Health Minister this week to commission abortion health services for women in Northern Ireland.
Individual health trusts have set up temporary early medical abortion pathways but Northern Ireland-wide services have not yet been commissioned by the Department of Health. Minister Robin Swann has argued that, as a controversial issue, it is for the Executive to agree to set up the services.
The DUP is opposed to abortion and has proposed a new law to prevent them being carried out in cases of non-fatal disabilities.
South Belfast MLA Deirdre Hargey said: “The Minister for Health, Robin Swann, supported by the DUP, has failed to commission modern and compassionate healthcare services for women while the DUP attempt to unpick and roll back the legislation that provides for these services,” she said.
Ms Hargey said she would challenge Mr Swann at this week’s Executive meeting “to commission the services he is responsible for so no other woman is forced to travel needlessly to England to access services they are entitled to access here”.
Northern Ireland’s previously restrictive laws were changed by MPS at Westminster in 2019 at a time when Stormont had collapsed.
The laws allow abortion in all circumstances up to 12 weeks.
Terminations are permitted up to 24 weeks when there is a risk to the woman’s physical or mental health.
There is no time limit in cases of fatal foetal abnormality or when there has been a diagnosis of a serious physical or mental impairment that would cause a serious disability.
Abortions post 24 weeks in those circumstances are extremely rare.
On Saturday, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis tweeted: “I would welcome a renewed focus on the NI Executive securing the abortion services that women and girls are legally and morally entitled to.
“We should all take our obligations on this issue incredibly seriously — it is a human right to be able to access quality healthcare.”
The Department of Health said: “It has been the Health Minister’s stated position that this is a matter for the Executive as a whole to consider.”