Northern Ireland Humanists has called on the Committee for Health to advise the Northern Ireland Assembly against the Severe Fetal Impairment Abortion (Amendment) Bill.
The Bill seeks to curtail hard-fought abortion rights in Northern Ireland, overriding patients’ control over their reproductive and sexual health. Northern Ireland Humanists stated that, if made law, the Bill would not only put Northern Ireland in breach of its human rights obligations, but contravene medical expertise and take Northern Ireland ‘back in time’ by forcing women into difficult situations.
Reproductive rights are a well-established, integral part of the international human right to health. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women recommends that legislation provides ‘for expanded grounds to legalise abortion’ including for reasons of ‘severe foetal impairment, including fatal foetal abnormalities’. The Bill also goes against the advice of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists as it could force patients to take a decision to abort an otherwise wanted pregnancy without the full information or enough time to reflect on their options due to an imposed deadline.
Northern Ireland Humanists Coordinator Boyd Sleator commented, ‘Fundamentally, we believe that abortion should be treated as a medical matter, not a criminal one. Decisions about which medical conditions are severe enough to warrant an abortion are best decided between patients and their healthcare providers.
‘This Bill will take us back in time by once again forcing women to travel to Great Britain to have their healthcare needs met. It will mean that women with financial means will have more control over their reproductive health than others. And it will mean that, once again, women in Northern Ireland are denied the same healthcare rights as women in the rest of the UK or in Ireland.’
Notes:
For further comment or information, please contact Northern Ireland Humanists Coordinator Boyd Sleator at boyd@humanists.uk or phone 02890 029946.
Read the consultation response.
Read more about our work on abortion and reproductive rights.
Northern Ireland Humanists is part of Humanists UK, working with the Humanist Association of Ireland. Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by 100,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.
In 2021, Humanists UK is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a renewed focus on its history. The new website Humanist Heritage is a rich new web resource that uncovers the untold story of humanism in the UK – a story of people, groups, objects, places, movements, publications, and ideas.