Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant'
8th May 2014, 11:16
The High Court in London has ruled women from Northern Ireland are not legally entitled to free abortions on the NHS in England.
The case was brought by two women who launched a legal challenge against the current position.
Unlike the rest of the UK abortion is only allowed in very restricted circumstances in Northern Ireland.
More than 1,000 women each year travel from NI to have an abortion in other parts of the UK.
Those who do travel must pay for their transport, accommodation and the cost of the procedure.
In his judgement, Mr Justice King, said the differences in the legal position had "not surprisingly led to a steady stream" of pregnant women from Northern Ireland to England to access abortion services not available to them at home.
But he ruled that the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's duty to promote a comprehensive health service in England "is a duty in relation to the physical and mental health of the people of England", and that duty did not extend "to persons who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland".
The judge in his ruling has said that devolutionary powers have to be taken into consideration.
Due to Northern Ireland not being covered by the 1967 Abortion Act, which applies in the rest of the UK, the judge has ruled this was not a discrimination issue.
(Full article here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27325363)
The case was brought by two women who launched a legal challenge against the current position.
Unlike the rest of the UK abortion is only allowed in very restricted circumstances in Northern Ireland.
More than 1,000 women each year travel from NI to have an abortion in other parts of the UK.
Those who do travel must pay for their transport, accommodation and the cost of the procedure.
In his judgement, Mr Justice King, said the differences in the legal position had "not surprisingly led to a steady stream" of pregnant women from Northern Ireland to England to access abortion services not available to them at home.
But he ruled that the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's duty to promote a comprehensive health service in England "is a duty in relation to the physical and mental health of the people of England", and that duty did not extend "to persons who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland".
The judge in his ruling has said that devolutionary powers have to be taken into consideration.
Due to Northern Ireland not being covered by the 1967 Abortion Act, which applies in the rest of the UK, the judge has ruled this was not a discrimination issue.
(Full article here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27325363)