Critiquing recent abortion law and policy in Northern Ireland

Abstract

The lack of a clear and accessible law specifically outlining when abortion is legal in Northern Ireland has led to confusion and misinformation among the public, health professionals, politicians, lobby groups and the media. Hard won Departmental Guidance and legal challenges to it provide evidence of religious and cultural bias at an institutional level against abortion in any circumstances. The introduction of Northern Ireland’s first private abortion clinic in 2012 has brought the debate into sharper focus. This commentary explores recent developments in abortion regulation and the failings of the two legislatures in Belfast and Westminster to live up to both domestic legal standards and international human rights law on reproductive health.