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WORLD NEWS Monday 23 July 2018

U.K. faces calls to liberalize Northern Ireland abortion laws

By GREGORY KATZ care as their counterparts tions have been allowed in Prime Minister Theresa May Unionist Party in Northern
LONDON (AP) — The British do across these islands," England, Wales and Scot- —busy with Brexit negotia- Ireland, which is opposed
government faced inten- the letter said. land for more than 50 years. tions — has not moved to to abortion.
sifying pressure Sunday to The open letter says that Northern Ireland's power- address abortion access in The letter is unlikely to have
take steps to legalize abor- nearly 1,000 women and sharing assembly is not Northern Ireland. any immediate impact as
tions in Northern Ireland, girls from Northern Ireland operating at the moment, Her minority government Britain's Parliament is about
where terminating a preg- went to the British mainland leaving the British gov- depends on the coop- to begin its lengthy summer
nancy remains a criminal for abortions last year and ernment in control. British eration of the Democratic recess.q

In this file photo dated Thursday, 18, 2012, protesters opposed to
abortion hold placards in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Associated Press

offense even as tight abor- others took abortion-induc-
tion restrictions are being ing pills that are illegal in
lifted in the Republic of Ire- that part of the U.K.
land. Voters in the Republic of
More than 170 politicians Ireland overwhelmingly ap-
from political parties in Brit- proved a May referendum
ain, Ireland and Northern to repeal a constitutional
Ireland sent a letter to the amendment that barred
Sunday Times that urged most abortions. In its place,
the government to repeal new laws spelling out the
the 19th- century laws that conditions for legal abor-
make it a crime to have tions are expected to be
an abortion in Northern Ire- enacted.
land. The vote does not affect
"This is the first and critical Northern Ireland, which
step to ending the treat- is part of the United King-
ment of British and Irish dom. Abortions are prohib-
women living in Northern ited there even in cases of
Ireland as second-class rape and when the fetus is
citizens, who do not enjoy judged by experts to have
the same access to health a fatal abnormality. Abor-