BPAS comment on the Government announcement that full abortion services are to be formally set up in Northern Ireland.

Full abortion services are to be formally set up in Northern Ireland, the Government has announced.

Clare Murphy, Chief Executive of BPAS, the UK’s leading abortion care provider, said:

“This is an important opportunity to develop comprehensive, woman-centred abortion services in Northern Ireland. Women across the UK should be able to access safe, legal, local abortion care, whether they are resident in Belfast or Birmingham, and we hope that the government’s announcement will make access to this care a reality.”

“When MPs voted to decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland in 2019, there was a clear expectation that this would lead to the establishment of safe, legal, NHS-funded services. Yet three years later, women are still forced to travel to England to access surgical treatment, and there is no secure long-term funding available to enable Trusts to establish sustainable early medical abortion services.

“Until services are fully established, BPAS will continue to provide a central access point for women who require advice, counselling or access to early medical abortion services within Northern Ireland, and we will also do all that we can to support the training needs of clinicians.”

 

ENDS

For further information, please contact Rachael Clarke, BPAS Associate Director of Campaigns and Communications, on press@bpas.org or 07985 351751.

About BPAS

BPAS is a charity that sees over 100,000 women a year for reproductive healthcare services including pregnancy counselling, abortion care, miscarriage management and contraception at clinics across Great Britain. It supports and advocates for reproductive choice. BPAS also runs the Centre for Reproductive Research and Communication, which seeks to develop and deliver a research agenda that furthers women’s access to evidence-based reproductive healthcare, driven by an understanding of women’s perspectives and needs. You can find out more here: https://www.bpas.org/get-involved/centre-for-reproductive-research-communication/