Northern Irish women have right to abortion on NHS, MPs will argue

Abortion should be provided on the NHS in England for Northern Irish women, cross-party MPs will argue.

In an amendment to the Queen’s speech, which supporters said would act as a warning to Downing Street about the implications of a pact with the Democratic Unionist party, MPs from all the major parties will argue that abortion should be provided on the NHS in England for Northern Irish women.

The government will be asked in the amendment, coordinated by the Labour MP Stella Creasy and Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley, to consider passing a law so women from Northern Ireland have NHS abortion provision when they travel to England to terminate a pregnancy.

The DUP has historically been hostile to abortion, and Northern Ireland has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.

Creasy said: “How can it be right that if a Northern Irish woman comes to England and needs her appendix out, as a UK taxpayer we don’t charge her, but if she needs an abortion we do? Challenging the government’s decision to continue charging women for this service isn’t about the ability of the Northern Irish assembly to make decisions on matters like abortion rights, but how we treat all our citizens fairly when they are here on our shores.”