Responding to news that the UK Government has agreed to fund abortions in England for women and girls from Northern Ireland, Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Campaign Manager, said:

“We’re pleased to see the Government concede on this issue. This is an important step for women’s rights and towards ending the ludicrous situation where women and girls in Northern Ireland are denied the right to healthcare that those in the rest of the UK can take for granted.

“However, women and girls from Northern Ireland will still have to bear the financial and emotional burden of having to travel for healthcare that should be available at home. They have been treated as second-class citizens for too long.

“This move by the UK Government is no substitute for the Northern Ireland Assembly getting its own house in order by legislating for proper access to abortion care. Politicians must act urgently to bring the region’s archaic abortion laws into line with human rights standards, as repeatedly called for by United Nations committees. This should include the decriminalisation of abortion, so that women are treated as patients, not potential criminals.”