‘Denied their rights’: Only around half of people in Northern Ireland realise abortion is legal, study finds

While just one in ten women in Northern Ireland know how to access abortion services

Study finds only around half of women would feel comfortable talking to their GP about getting an abortion (Getty Images)

Only around half of people in Northern Ireland realise abortion is legal despite terminations being decriminalised in the region three years ago, a study has found.

Research, carried out by Amnesty International, a leading global human rights organisation, also found just one in ten women in Northern Ireland know how to access abortion services.

While the study, which polled more than 1,000 adults in Northern Ireland, discovered only around half of women would feel comfortable talking to their GP about getting an abortion.

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.

High-profile individuals, such as Olivia Colman, as well as abortion providers, experts and leading human rights organisations, have signed an open letter demanding the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland immediately commission abortion services.

“We urge you to establish these without further delay – we cannot continue to wait,” the letter states. “The continued lack of abortion provision is unacceptable and causing harm every day. Women, girls and pregnant people in need of this time-sensitive and vital healthcare are suffering - left without the local support our new pro-choice law promised three years ago.”

The letter also notes while “we are seeing deeply concerning rollbacks on reproductive rights in other countries like the US”, it is important not to “forget that people in the UK are being denied their rights too”.

It goes onto say: “No more feet dragging, no more failure. This healthcare must be made immediately available to all who need it.”

Three fifths of adults polled want the government to go further in ensuring abortions can be obtained in Northern Ireland.

Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International UK’s Northern Ireland deputy director, said: “The poll results are shocking but not completely surprising – the government has been dragging its heels on getting abortion services up and running for three years. No wonder people are left confused and unaware of their rights.”