Motion no: 26
Conference applauds the women, civil society groups and trade unions who tirelessly campaigned to realise free, safe and legal abortion healthcare in Northern Ireland.
Whilst trade unions welcomed the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations which came into force in March 2020 and which, for the first time, made provision for a legal framework for abortion provision in Northern Ireland, Conference notes that the legislation still falls short of CEDAW recommendations and medical best practice.
However, despite these long-awaited regulations, Conference is dismayed that a fully functioning abortion service has still not been commissioned by the Northern Ireland Health Minister. Promises from the Northern Ireland Secretary of State that he would use his powers to immediately intervene to ensure that services are provided have also not been fulfilled.
Conference regards this failure to commission services as a dereliction of duty, failing the citizens of Northern Ireland as well as the healthcare workforce who have been left in extremely difficult positions of trying to provide a service with little or no guidance or financial or workforce resource.
Conference is further appalled by the continued harassment faced by women and those accompanying them as they access reproductive healthcare and faced by healthcare workers going about their jobs.
Conference calls on the Northern Ireland Committee to prioritise campaigning for the following actions:
• The Department for Health Northern Ireland to immediately fulfill it’s statutory obligations and co-operate with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to deliver a CEDAW compliant and fully resourced abortion service;
• The Safe Access Zones legislation, which was passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly to be implemented to allow patients and those accompanying them to safely access healthcare and to ensure that workers are free from intimidation and harassment;
• The introduction of telemedicine abortion services, as in the rest of the UK and Republic of Ireland.
