Capt Lightning
Well-known Member
- Location
- Historic Buchan, Scotland
The situation in the UK and Ireland is somewhat convoluted. When abortion became legal in most of the UK, N.Ireland was not included.
The result was that women in both N.Ireland and the Republic, would cross to England privately for abortions although it was illegal to do so.
The situation took many twists and turns with various court cases and political interventions. The fiercest opposition to issues such as abortion, gay rights, same sex marriages etc, would seem to have come from the more extreme protestant community and their political representatives.
Some easing of the situation in the North came when the UK government granted women from N.Ireland free access to abortion facilities in the UK. Eventually the UK government directed (in the absence of an agreed assembly) that full abortion facilities (with safeguards) should be made available in N.Ireland. As late as this year, it was ruled that denying this was a breach of women's rights.
The situation in the Republic took a different course after a referendum voted in favour of relaxing the law on abortions. I seems somewhat ironic that Republic appears to have taken a more liberal stance than the North on many issues.
The result was that women in both N.Ireland and the Republic, would cross to England privately for abortions although it was illegal to do so.
The situation took many twists and turns with various court cases and political interventions. The fiercest opposition to issues such as abortion, gay rights, same sex marriages etc, would seem to have come from the more extreme protestant community and their political representatives.
Some easing of the situation in the North came when the UK government granted women from N.Ireland free access to abortion facilities in the UK. Eventually the UK government directed (in the absence of an agreed assembly) that full abortion facilities (with safeguards) should be made available in N.Ireland. As late as this year, it was ruled that denying this was a breach of women's rights.
The situation in the Republic took a different course after a referendum voted in favour of relaxing the law on abortions. I seems somewhat ironic that Republic appears to have taken a more liberal stance than the North on many issues.