Ruling leaves N. Ireland strict abortion law as is

The U.K. Supreme Court ruled Thursday it had no right to decide whether Northern Ireland’s strict policy limiting abortions breached European human- rights laws. The court ruled that the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission didn’t have the le g al right to bring the case. However, a majority of the seven judges agreed that the law breached the European Conv e ntion of Human Rights in cases of rape, incest and fetal abnor- mality. In Northern Ireland, women are only permit- ted to terminate their preg- nancy when their life is in danger or the pregnancy runs a serious risk to their mental or physical health. In 2016, more than 700 women traveled from Northern Ireland to England and Wales to get an abortion. The ruling on a technical- ity will come as a relief for U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, that decide policy. the who A its province ruling previously own the abortion should other said way ting her would’ve fragile risked alliance upset- with the province’s Democratic Unionist Party. Pressure to change the law in the province has increased since the Republic of Ireland voted by a landslide to liberalize abortion laws last month. Many Conservative lawmakers say that the law in Northern Ireland should be brought into line with the rest of the U.K., but DUP leader Arlene Foster is committed to maintaining the province’s strict abortion laws.

May has said that the abortion issue should be decided by Northern Ireland’s devolved government. U.K. lawmakers held an emergency debate on the issue Tuesday.

Northern Ireland hasn’t had a government since a power-sharing agreement between the DUP and Sinn Fein collapsed in January 2017 over the DUP leadership’s role in a costly renewable energy initiative.