Finally the injustice of Northern Ireland’s abortion laws is being recognised – Theresa May must end this gross violation of women's rights

Theresa May is a self-proclaimed feminist, yet she is the one who got into bed with the DUP – which is vocal about its opposition to women accessing abortions – in order to keep hold of her job as prime minister

On Friday, the Republic of Ireland overwhelmingly voted to repeal the eighth amendment to its constitution, which prevented abortion in almost all cases, meaning that women in Ireland were forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, often to the detriment of their health and even threatening their lives. There is no doubt this is a huge success for pro-choice activists the world over.

But before the dust had settled, the focus had shifted to Northern Ireland as now within Europe only Malta, San Marino and the Vatican have more draconian laws than part of the United Kingdom.

The 1967 Abortion Act, which legalised abortion and offered it to women on the NHS, was never extended to Northern Ireland, where abortion is only allowed when the pregnant person’s life is at risk, or there is a permanent or serious risk to her mental or physical health. If this sounds vague, it’s because it is. Fatal foetal abnormalities, rape and incest, for example, do not qualify as circumstances in which abortions can be legally obtained in Northern Ireland.

And it gets worse. In 2013, new guidelines threatened to criminalise medical professionals who were found to be performing terminations that did not meet these murky standards. Before these guidelines were introduced, there were more than 100 abortions performed in Northern Ireland every year but in 2017 there just 13. One wonders to what fate the rest of these women, unable to obtain the medical treatment they needed, succumbed.

A 2016 survey on the issue shows that more than 70 per cent of people are opposed to the current laws, and the High Court recently ruled that abortion laws were in breach of women’s human rights – yet nothing has changed. Much of the rhetoric has been around the idea that Northern Ireland should hold a similar referendum – after all, if the public is broadly in favour of it, we pro-choice feminists will surely get the result we’re hoping for, right?

A number of politicians, including former women and equalities minister Maria Miller, have backed this suggestion, and encouraged Theresa May to allow such a vote – yet this completely misses the point. Women’s rights to control their own bodies should not be something everyone is entitled to an opinion on; it should be considered the most basic of human rights that no one should be able to strip us of.

Those who oppose abortions on the basis of moral or religious ideals are entitled to their beliefs, but not to impose them upon the rest of us and our wombs. And the current ban doesn’t actually stop women from accessing abortions anyway; it just makes it so much harder, more expensive and more dangerous, and it does so intentionally – something we would balk at when it comes to any other form of medical treatment.

To suggest abortions don’t happen in Northern Ireland is absurd. Last year the government amended the budget to cover the cost of abortions for women travelling from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK. While that may ease the burden somewhat, Westminster needs to do more to ensure all British women – including those in Northern Ireland – have equal access to the medical care they’re entitled to.

Theresa May is a self-proclaimed feminist, yet she is the one who got into bed with the DUP – which is vocal about its opposition to women accessing abortions – in order to keep hold of her job as prime minister.

As a woman living in Northern Ireland I feel let down by the government and the British public. It is unacceptable that women are forced into life-threatening situations just because our prime minister cannot stand up to the reactionary, misogynistic ideology represented by the DUP, which thinks women should be seen and treated first and foremost as vessels for their progeny.

A feminist prime minister would do everything she could to stop failing the women of Northern Ireland and not criminalise them for accessing healthcare, and not via a referendum which suggests women’s rights are up for debate. We must ensure she realises that the public’s support depends on it.