The abortion debate in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's justice minister David Ford said that he is committed to holding a consultation with the Department of Health on whether current guidelines should be changed to permit women to have an abortion on the grounds of foetal abnormality.

Earlier this month, a woman who discovered that she was carrying twins with a fatal foetal abnormality known as anencephaly, called on Northern Ireland's health minister Edwin Poots to allow her to have an abortion in the country.  

Another woman, Sarah Ewart, who recently travelled to London from Nothern Ireland to abort a baby with the same condition, contacted BBC’s Stephen Nolan show to talk about her experiences.

Pressure

There has been widespread media coverage of the cases, which are being used to place increasing pressure for a change in the law in Northern Ireland, which currently permits abortion only if it is 'necessary to preserve the life of the woman or there is a risk of real and serious adverse effect on her physical or mental health, which is either long-term or permanent’.  

In his blog Dr Peter Saunders, of Christian Medical Fellowship, has given 20 reasons why parents (and doctors) should think twice about aborting a baby with anencephaly, and why society should be advocating an alternative approach to abortion. You can read the full blog here.

Dr Saunders also joined the abortion debate on the Nolan show earlier this week.  You can listen to the full debate here >

Click here to read Dr Saunders's blog: Defending the ‘indefensible’? Twenty reasons to think twice about aborting a baby with anencephaly >

Listen to Dr Saunders speak about the cases on the Nolan show >