Only 10% of women know how to access abortion services  

A new survey by AI UK has exposed just how few adults in Northern Ireland (47%) are aware that abortion is lawful, despite abortion being decriminalised there three years ago.

Shockingly, the poll revealed that only 10% of women know how to access abortion, and fewer than half (46%) would be comfortable speaking to their GP about accessing abortion. Three-fifths (60%) of adults think the government should be doing more to make abortion services available and accessible across Northern Ireland.

Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland three years ago, on 21 October 2019. However, the Government is yet to establish commissioned abortion services in the region, leaving abortion provision fragile and inconsistent. People are still being forced to travel long distances to access the healthcare: in 2020-21, 161 people travelled to England to access an abortion.

Poll results

The poll, which was conducted by Opinium on behalf of Amnesty International UK, surveyed more than 1,000 adults (18+) in Northern Ireland and revealed that:

• Fewer than half (47%) adults are aware that abortion is currently lawful in Northern Ireland. Only 46% of women are aware that abortion is currently legal.
• Only (13%) of adults know how to access abortion services, which is even lower amongst women (10%).
• However, 49% think they know where they could find out about these services.
• An overwhelming majority (87%) say the public are often unaware of the circumstances that abortion is permitted and how to access it.
• Fewer than half (46%) of women would be comfortable speaking to their GP about accessing abortion.
• Three fifths (60%) of adults think the Government should be doing more to make abortion services available and accessible across Northern Ireland, and seven in ten (68%) think the Government should be doing more to make people aware of what new services are available following the law change.

A new open letter urges the secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton Harris, to set up abortion services without delay. The full text reads:

Today marks three years since abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland, and yet commissioned abortion services are still not set up in the region.

We urge you to establish these without further delay – we cannot continue to wait.

The continued lack of abortion provision is unacceptable and causing harm every day. Women, girls and pregnant people in need of this time sensitive and vital health-care are suffering – left without the local support our new pro-choice law promised three years ago.  

People are still being forced to travel and make distressing journeys to access abortion. In 2020-21, 161 women and girls had to board a plane to England for abortion care. These journeys should long be a thing of the past.

Without commissioning and the necessary funding and resourcing, health trusts will struggle to meet the needs of people seeking abortions. Abortion provision will remain in a fragile state with access inconsistent across the various health trust areas.

At a time when we are seeing deeply concerning rollbacks on reproductive rights in other countries like the US, we cannot forget that people in the UK are being denied their rights too. The UK government must set up abortion services in Northern Ireland and show that choice is respected and protected, not only in law but in practice.

People in need of abortion simply cannot afford to keep waiting. No more feet dragging, no more failure. This healthcare must be made immediately available to all who need it.

Yours,

* Grainne Teggart, Deputy Programme Director – Northern Ireland, Amnesty International UK
* Olivia Colman, Amnesty International UK Ambassador
* Vick Hope, Amnesty International UK Ambassador
* Deborah Frances-White, Amnesty International UK Ambassador
* Juliet Stevenson, Amnesty International UK Ambassador
* Kaiser Chiefs, Amnesty International UK Ambassadors
* Bronagh Waugh, Actor
* Dr Edward Morris, President, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
* Karen Murray, Director, Northern Ireland, Royal College of Midwives
* Rita Devlin, Director, Northern Ireland, Royal College of Nurses
* Clare Murphy, Chief Executive, BPAS
* Dr Jonathan Lord, Medical Director, MSI Reproductive Choices UK
* Aaron Flaherty, Chief Executive, NUPAS
* Dr Eveane Cubitt, Northern Ireland Chair, Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health
* Dr Ralph Roberts, Chair, Northern Ireland Abortion and Contraception Taskforce
* Ruairi Rowan, Director of Advocacy and Policy, Informing Choices NI
* Bethany Moore, Alliance for Choice Derry
* Emma Campbell and Naomi O’Connor, Co-Chairs, Alliance for Choice

Part of a longer press release at https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/northern-ireland-fewer-half-women-realise-abortion-lawful-new-poll

October 23, 2022