Restrictive Abortion Laws Violate Human Rights, According to Northern Ireland Court
The High Court in Belfast ruled that Northern Ireland’s abortion laws, which only allow abortion when the mother faces the risk of death or serious injury, is a violation of human rights.
By not providing exceptions for women who have been victims of sexual abuse and in cases where serious fetal abnormality is visible during pregnancy, the court said that Northern Ireland had violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Although the law was seen to be a violation of human rights, the court was not sure if a change in the law would be necessary or if it would be possible to apply the changes under the current laws. The case was brought by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC), Amnesty International (AI) and a local woman, Sarah Ewart, who went public about her difficulty obtaining an abortion after her baby was diagnosed with anencephaly.
