BBC Radio Ulster: the Stephen Nolan Show

Education for Choice’s Laura Hurley comments on the High Court ruling that women from Northern Ireland are not entitled to access abortion free of charge through the NHS in England.

“The high court’s verdict is basically two fingers up to this 15-year-old girl, her mother, and every woman living in Northern Ireland who ever has and who ever will be faced with an unwanted pregnancy. And while you don’t have to be a legal expert to realise how much it sucks to live in a…

BBC Radio Ulster: Evening Extra

“And when Northern Irish women travel, they have to pay. They pay for the flights. They pay for the flights of someone to keep them company – or, if they cannot afford that, they come alone, so they pay in loneliness. They pay for accommodation if they need to stay overnight. They pay in secrecy or…

Mara Clarke volunteers for a charity called Abortion Support Network which provides financial and practical assistance for women who are forced to travel to the UK for a termination. “I’m bitterly disappointed and outraged on behalf of the women who in order to access the medical procedure have to sell their wedding rings and slink…

“The High Court rules that women from Northern Ireland are not legally entitled to free abortions on the NHS in England. The former chair of the Royal College of GPs, Dr Clare Gerada, says she’s unhappy with the decision.”

“I believe private abortion services in the UK shouldn’t be needed because the NHS should be providing all abortions. The wretched way in which the Irish government simply dumps women who need abortions on the UK health services should be handled by having everyone from Ireland who comes to mainland UK to get an abortion…

Mara Clarke: “When you are talking about gender selection, you are not talking about abortion. You are talking about societies that in some cases devalue girls. So to me, that’s what we need to work on. “We have helped three couples who were getting gender-selective determinations but they were actually terminating boys. Because in all…

Last night, Mara Clarke, who runs the London-based Abortion Support Network, said the figures are supported by the experiences of Irish women who travel to Britain for abortions. “In 2013 at least 26 of the women we heard from were in or escaping abusive relationships. We expect the number is higher than this as we…