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11/10/2012
NI Clinic To Offer Abortions
Next week will see the opening of the first ever private clinic to offer abortions in Northern Ireland.
The service will be operating from the centre of Belfast from 18 October and will be run by Marie Stopes.
Under Northern Irish law, abortions are not completely illegal, but are heavily controlled. They may only be carried out in cases where a pregnancy risks the health or life of a woman.
The termination must be approved by a GP following mental and physical examinations, before nine weeks of gestation.
Marie Stopes, which is a UK based provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare services, says it will still be operating within current legislation.
Darinka Aleksic of the Abortion Rights group said women in Northern Ireland were "treated like second-class citizens when it comes to abortion".
"Over 50,000 women have had to make this journey over the past 40 years and it is an injustice that must not be allowed to continue."
But she added: "The opening of this centre will not solve all these problems and the fight for Northern Irish women to have the same rights as women in England, Scotland and Wales has a long way to go. But this is a real step forward."
In England, Wales and Scotland, a 24-week gestation period is allowed, but abortions are still only allowed under similar conditions to those imposed in Northern Ireland.
An anti-abortion group has called for the centre to be shut down.
Bernie Smyth of the pro-life group Precious Life told the BBC she and the group’s members want the centre to be shut down.
Figures for 2011 show that just over 1,000 Northern Irish women travelled to England and Wales for terminations.
(IT)
The service will be operating from the centre of Belfast from 18 October and will be run by Marie Stopes.
Under Northern Irish law, abortions are not completely illegal, but are heavily controlled. They may only be carried out in cases where a pregnancy risks the health or life of a woman.
The termination must be approved by a GP following mental and physical examinations, before nine weeks of gestation.
Marie Stopes, which is a UK based provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare services, says it will still be operating within current legislation.
Darinka Aleksic of the Abortion Rights group said women in Northern Ireland were "treated like second-class citizens when it comes to abortion".
"Over 50,000 women have had to make this journey over the past 40 years and it is an injustice that must not be allowed to continue."
But she added: "The opening of this centre will not solve all these problems and the fight for Northern Irish women to have the same rights as women in England, Scotland and Wales has a long way to go. But this is a real step forward."
In England, Wales and Scotland, a 24-week gestation period is allowed, but abortions are still only allowed under similar conditions to those imposed in Northern Ireland.
An anti-abortion group has called for the centre to be shut down.
Bernie Smyth of the pro-life group Precious Life told the BBC she and the group’s members want the centre to be shut down.
Figures for 2011 show that just over 1,000 Northern Irish women travelled to England and Wales for terminations.
(IT)
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