The numbers show a reduction in the number of women from Ireland and Northern Ireland traveling to England to access a safe and legal abortion—4,481, down from 4,887—the lowest reported number since 1969. While some organizations and groups in Ireland and Northern Ireland will undoubtedly greet the news of a reduction in numbers with positive…

“In 2012 a 15-year-old UK citizen found herself unwillingly pregnant. Had she lived in England, Scotland, or Wales she could have contacted her GP or local sexual health clinic to arrange a termination. But restrictions on abortion in Northern Ireland means she and her mother were forced to scrimp to cover the costs of travel…

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…