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Some women in Northern Ireland have no means to access abortion services because of a postcode lottery.
Northern Ireland human rights campaigners have raised concerns saying one-third of women in the country cannot receive abortion services if needed due to the postcode lottery, according to The Independent.
Amnesty International has criticised Northern Ireland’s health minister for failing to fund abortion services in some parts of the country following the decriminalisaton of abortion practices a year ago.
Amnesty International has said the lack of abortion service in Northern Ireland is “shameful” and is making women in need vulnerable to risky procedures if they cannot access proper abortions, according to The Independent.
Abortion became legal in Northern Ireland in October 2019 after a sweeping victory vote by MPs in July 2019. It became legal in nearly all circumstances, including for incest and rape victims. Women seeking abortions were no longer faced a threat of facing life in prison.
Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann said immediate action needs to be taken to commission full abortion services and telemedicine in all areas, The Independent reported.
The coronavirus pandemic took priority over many health services, and Amnesty International says the national emergency left health firms scrambling to manage abortion services.
According to Amnesty International, Northern Healthcare Trust recently had to shut down abortion services in 10 out of 26 areas.
It was expected that women living in areas served by the Northern Healthcare Trust would be moved to other trusts, according to Amnesty International. But that hasn’t happened due to a capacity shortage.
The healthcare postcode lottery means not everyone can receive the services the Northern Ireland abortion laws now dictate.
The postcode lottery affects women in Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Cookstown and Magherafelt, according to The Independent. These areas have faced shortages in available abortion services.
And, while some women have no access to abortions in Northern Ireland, the COVID-19 challenges have made travelling to receive services almost impossible, according to The Independent.
In the Republic of Ireland, many women in need of termination of pregnancy have travelled to England where abortion laws allow procedures up to 24 weeks, while Ireland only allows abortions at a maximum of 12 weeks, The Independent reported.
Ruairi Rowan of Informing Choices NI has pressed the health minister to take immediate action.
“Since the new abortion framework was established it has been left up to health trusts and ICNI to absorb the needs of women, but without additional resources, we’re seeing the services struggle to cope,” Rowan told The Independent.
“The sustainability of services will always be in question until commissioning takes place,” Rowan said. “Therefore, we call on the health minister to urgently begin the commissioning process, including the use of telemedicine, before the services collapse everywhere.”
Amnesty International UK Northern Ireland campaign manager Grainne Teggart accused Swann of leaving women in “a vulnerable and dangerous position.”
“It’s utterly shameful that a whole year since abortion was decriminalised, the Health Minister has failed to commission services and has completely neglected the needs of both women and our healthcare service,” Teggart said. “Instead, he has left it to our health trusts and charities to provide these services with zero additional support.”
“We now have a postcode lottery for abortion services, where women in one trust area are effectively unable to access early medical abortion healthcare – their only option to buy pills online or put themselves in danger by travelling during a pandemic,” Teggart continued. “Abortion is now legal and no-one in need of the service must be refused. The Health Minister needs to urgently step up and take action, including commissioning full and accessible services and introducing telemedicine.”
What is your opinion about Northern Ireland’s postcode lottery for abortion services? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
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