Northern Ireland: fewer than half of women realise abortion is lawful - new poll

Only 10% of women know how to access abortion services  

Shocking new survey comes three years since abortion was decriminalised in the region 

Celebrities including Olivia Colman and Vick Hope, medical experts, service providers and human rights orgs call on Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to urgently commission abortion services in open letter

A new survey has exposed just how few adults in Northern Ireland (47%) are aware that abortion is lawful, despite abortion being decriminalised there three years ago, Amnesty International UK said today (21 October).

Shockingly, the poll revealed that only 10% of women know how to access abortion, and fewer than half (46%) would be comfortable speaking to their GP about accessing abortion. Three-fifths (60%) of adults think the government should be doing more to make abortion services available and accessible across Northern Ireland.

Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland three years ago, on 21 October 2019. However, the Government is yet to establish commissioned abortion services in the region, leaving abortion provision fragile and inconsistent. People are still being forced to travel long distances to access the healthcare: in 2020-21, 161 people travelled to England to access an abortion. 

Celebrities - including Bronagh Waugh, Olivia Colman, Vick Hope and Juliet Stevenson – have joined medical bodies, service providers and human rights organisations, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Northern Ireland Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Nursing, BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices UK, in signing an open letter organised by Amnesty International UK calling on the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton Harris to urgently set up commissioned services.

The letter warns that the continued delay in establishing abortion services is “unacceptable and causing harm every day”, and states that “at a time when we are seeing deeply concerning rollbacks on reproductive rights in other countries like the US, we cannot forget that people in the UK are being denied their rights too.”

Poll results

The poll, which was conducted by Opinium on behalf of Amnesty International UK, surveyed more than 1,000 adults (18+) in Northern Ireland and revealed that:

• Fewer than half (47%) adults are aware that abortion is currently lawful in Northern Ireland. Only 46% of women are aware that abortion is currently legal.
• Only (13%) of adults know how to access abortion services, which is even lower amongst women (10%).
• However, 49% think they know where they could find out about these services.
• An overwhelming majority (87%) say the public are often unaware of the circumstances that abortion is permitted and how to access it.
• Fewer than half (46%) of women would be comfortable speaking to their GP about accessing abortion.
• Three fifths (60%) of adults think the Government should be doing more to make abortion services available and accessible across Northern Ireland, and seven in ten (68%) think the Government should be doing more to make people aware of what new services are available following the law change.

Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International UK’s Northern Ireland Deputy Director, said:

“The poll results are shocking but not completely surprising – the Government has been dragging its heels on getting abortion services up and running for three years. No wonder people are left confused and unaware of their rights.

“Half the population doesn’t realise abortion is now lawful and worryingly few know how to access services – this is a huge failure by the government, and their delays are having a harmful impact on those in need of this healthcare on a daily basis.

“The law is meaningless if people don’t have access to abortion in practice. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland must set up abortion services and launch an information campaign without delay.”

Open letter: ‘People in need of abortion simply cannot afford to keep waiting’

A new open letter signed by celebrities - including Bronagh Waugh and Amnesty International UK Ambassadors Olivia Colman, Vick Hope, Deborah Frances-White, Juliet Stevenson and the Kaiser Chiefs - medical bodies, service providers and human rights organisations - including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Northern Ireland Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Nursing, BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices UK – urges the secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton Harris, to set up abortion services without delay.

The full text reads:

Dear Secretary of State,

Today marks three years since abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland, and yet commissioned abortion services are still not set up in the region.

We urge you to establish these without further delay – we cannot continue to wait.

The continued lack of abortion provision is unacceptable and causing harm every day. Women, girls and pregnant people in need of this time sensitive and vital health-care are suffering - left without the local support our new pro-choice law promised three years ago.  

People are still being forced to travel and make distressing journeys to access abortion. In 2020-21, 161 women and girls had to board a plane to England for abortion care. These journeys should long be a thing of the past.

Without commissioning and the necessary funding and resourcing, health trusts will struggle to meet the needs of people seeking abortions. Abortion provision will remain in a fragile state with access inconsistent across the various health trust areas.

At a time when we are seeing deeply concerning rollbacks on reproductive rights in other countries like the US, we cannot forget that people in the UK are being denied their rights too. The UK government must set up abortion services in Northern Ireland and show that choice is respected and protected, not only in law but in practice.

People in need of abortion simply cannot afford to keep waiting. No more feet dragging, no more failure. This healthcare must be made immediately available to all who need it.

Yours,

Grainne Teggart, Deputy Programme Director – Northern Ireland, Amnesty International UK

Olivia Colman, Amnesty International UK Ambassador  

Vick Hope, Amnesty International UK Ambassador  

Deborah Frances-White, Amnesty International UK Ambassador  

Juliet Stevenson, Amnesty International UK Ambassador  

Kaiser Chiefs, Amnesty International UK Ambassadors

Bronagh Waugh, Actor

Dr Edward Morris, President, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Karen Murray, Director, Northern Ireland, Royal College of Midwives

Rita Devlin, Director, Northern Ireland, Royal College of Nursing

Clare Murphy, Chief Executive, BPAS

Dr Jonathan Lord, Medical Director, MSI Reproductive Choices UK

Aaron Flaherty, Chief Executive, NUPAS

Dr Eveane Cubitt, Northern Ireland Chair, Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health

Dr Ralph Roberts, Chair, Northern Ireland Abortion and Contraception Taskforce

Ruairi Rowan, Director of Advocacy and Policy, Informing Choices NI

Bethany Moore, Alliance for Choice Derry

Emma Campbell and Naomi O’Connor, Co-Chairs, Alliance for Choice

Notes:

Poll

All figures in the poll are from Opinium, commissioned by Amnesty International UK. Data from the survey of 1,004 adult respondents in Northern Ireland was collected between 12th and 17th October 2022. The study was weighted to be nationally representative, based on age, gender, county, and political background.