Local MP defends abortion rights in Northern Ireland

Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine pledged her support for a campaign to decriminalise abortion and change the law for women in Northern Ireland, where abortion remains illegal in almost every circumstance.

Northern Ireland is now the only place in the UK and Ireland where women are subjected to some of the harshest abortion restrictions in the whole of Europe.

Ms Jardine took part in a parliamentary event which formed part of Amnesty International and the FPA’s campaign calling access to free, safe and legal abortion in Northern Ireland.

More than 900 women from Northern Ireland travelled to England for abortion services during 2017, and countless others purchased abortion pills online, risking prosecution in doing so.

Following the event, Ms Jardine said: “This week I joined fellow parliamentarians in calling for the decriminalisation of abortion and reform for women in Northern Ireland.

“Abortion is a healthcare and human rights issue, and decriminalisation will ensure it is treated as such.

“We cannot turn our backs on women, and that is why I’m backing a change to the law in Northern Ireland.”