A Christian advocacy group has denounced a new report from Amnesty International which calls barriers to abortion access in Northern Ireland a human rights violation.
The UK Parliament in Westminster passed a law decriminalising abortion in Northern Ireland in 2019 while Stormont was suspended, despite polling finding that a majority in the province did not support the changes.
Amnesty complains that four years later abortion in Northern Ireland is "a right but not a reality" and that "obstacles include sporadic, under-resourced and understaffed services; conscience-based refusals, misinformation as well as pervasive stigma".
The report says that the government should fulfil "its human rights obligations to create an enabling environment for abortion care and to provide the full range of human rights-compliant abortion care".
"Pregnant people are legally entitled to access timely abortion care and information in Northern Ireland. Forcing people living in Northern Ireland to travel to England for essential healthcare, or to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term, violates their human rights, including their right to make autonomous decisions about their sexual and reproductive health," Amnesty said.
Christian group CARE challenged the claims in the report and said that abortion had been "imposed" on Northern Ireland.
Louise Davies, director of advocacy and policy at CARE, said, "Amnesty's description of abortion as a 'human right' is both factually incorrect – it has no basis in international treaties – and deeply offensive to many people in Northern Ireland. The primary human right, and the right from which all other rights extend, is the right to life.
"It should not be forgotten that the current abortion regime was undemocratically imposed on NI whilst the Assembly wasn't functioning, without the views of NI citizens being properly considered, or the consent of their elected representatives. Devolution was disrespected."
She called for the right to conscientious objection to be protected.
"In its report, Amnesty shows a concerning lack of regard for peoples' right to conscientiously object to abortion in a democratic, multicultural society. It also challenges the right of well-established and respected pro-life groups to empower women to make a different choice," she said.
Davies expressed regret that the report calls for the expansion of access to abortion by telemedicine, despite concerns about coercion and an increased risk of medical complications.
"Many people in Northern Ireland believe that in every pregnancy, both lives matter," she continued.
"They see a just, compassionate society as one that values, protects, and supports women when they are pregnant and after, ensuring that families have holistic support. We join them in this."
