A CROSS-PARTY group of MPs has called on the British government to allow women from Northern Ireland to access NHS-funded abortions in England.
The group yesterday tabled an amendment to the Queen's Speech, calling for free abortions - a move which has been strongly criticised by pro-life groups.
The amendment comes after the Supreme Court ruled last week that women from the north are not entitled to receive free abortions on the NHS in England.
Abortions are only permitted in the north if a woman's life is at risk, or there is a permanent or serious risk to her mental or physical health.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) claimed that funding terminations for women from the north would have cost just £350,500 last year.
It said the British government has spent more than £3 million over four years to ensure women in developing countries have access to safe abortions.
The amendment has been tabled by Labour MP Stella Creasy, and co-sponsored by MPs across the main political parties including Sir Peter Bottomley (Conservative), Caroline Lucas (Green), and Alison Thewlis (SNP).
Clare Murphy, bpas Director of External Affairs, said: "As our prime minister looks to Northern Ireland to ensure her government can govern, it’s absolutely right that the reproductive health needs of the women who live there are addressed".
"When faced with an unplanned pregnancy, or a pregnancy they cannot continue, Northern Irish women must travel to England for care at huge personal cost, or if they cannot afford to do so, take their chances by using abortion medication bought online - risking life imprisonment in the process," she said.
However one pro-life group has accused the MPs of "blatantly ignoring and attacking the democratic process in Northern Ireland".
Bernadette Smyth, director of Precious Life, said: "No one should be entitled to an abortion because abortion is not healthcare".
"It is the intentional killing of an unborn child," she said.
"Furthermore not one international human rights instrument recognises a right to abortion. The law in Northern Ireland, and the DUP's stance, protects both mother and child."
