Women in Northern Ireland to receive abortions on NHS England

NHS England is to provide free abortions for women living in Northern Ireland, which has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.

Women from Northern Ireland are currently charged around £900 for a termination if they travel to have the procedure in mainland Britain, a policy upheld by a supreme court case earlier this month.

Dozens of Conservative MPs were understood to have expressed to Tory whips their support

for an amendment by the Labour MP Stella Creasy to allow women in Northern Ireland access to NHS-funded abortions in Great Britain.

The amendment was signed by more than 100 MPs across the House of Commons, including the Conservative MP Peter Bottomley, Liberal Democrats, SNP MPs and the Green party co-leader Caroline Lucas. And is widely seen as an attempt to head off a damaging Tory rebellion at a vote on the Queen’s speech.

We’d like to understand how you feel about the change in access to abortion for women in Northern Ireland. How will the amendment affect your life, and how it might have affect it in the past? We’d also like to hear from you if you’ve travelled to England for an abortion, or know someone that has. 

You can fill in the form below – anonymously, if you prefer – and we’ll use a selection of responses in our reporting. We will keep your information as secure as possible.