Campaigners seeking free abortions for Northern Ireland women to fight on

A mother and daughter who want women from Northern Ireland to receive free abortions on the NHS in England have vowed to fight on after a narrow defeat at the UK's highest court.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday to reject their case against the health secretary by a majority of just three to two, they announced plans to go to the European Court of Human Rights.

The justices said they were ‘sharply divided’ over what the outcome of the case should be with the court’s deputy president Lady Hale being one of the two who ruled in favour of the mother and daughter.

Private termination

The 20-year-old woman at the centre of the appeal was 15 in October 2012 when she and her mother travelled from Northern Ireland to Manchester and were told she had to pay hundreds of pounds for a private termination because she was excluded from free abortion services.

The daughter, who can only be referred to as A, and her mother B, previously suffered defeat at the High Court in London in 2014 and at the Court of Appeal the following year.

After the latest round of their battle, they said in a statement: ‘We have come this far and fought hard because the issues are so important for women in Northern Ireland.

‘Fight further’

‘For this reason, we will do all that we can to take the fight further.’

In Northern Ireland a termination is lawful when its continuation would threaten the woman's life, or when it would probably affect her physical or mental health, but only if the effect would be serious and, in particular, permanent or long-term.

Each year, at least 1,000 women travel to England for a termination at a private clinic, often paying up to £1,000, and sometimes as much as £2,000.

In other news

• Brexit health alliance formed to safeguard care and research
• NHS pay must match staff commitment, urge heath providers