01 October 2023
A BPAS spokesperson said:
"We’re delighted to see women in Northern Ireland will be protected from anti-abortion harassment outside healthcare facilities. As a provider of abortion services, we know the hugely negative impact this type of activity has on women who are simply trying to access their legal right to healthcare. Northern Ireland is leading the way with this type of national protection, but we are pleased that thanks to a law passed earlier this year England and Wales will soon be introducing similar zones, and Scotland will be set to debate a bill in the coming months."
ENDS
For further information, please contact Katherine O’Brien, BPAS Associate Director of Campaigns and Communications, on katherine.o’brien@bpas.org or 07881 265276.
About BPAS
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, BPAS, is a charity that sees over 100,000 women a year for reproductive healthcare services including pregnancy counselling, abortion care, miscarriage management and contraception at clinics across Great Britain.
BPAS exists to further women’s reproductive choices. We believe all women should have the right to make their own decisions in and around pregnancy, from the contraception they use to avoid pregnancy right the way through to how they decide to feed their newborn baby, with access to evidence-based information to underpin their choices and high-quality services and support to exercise them.
BPAS also runs the Centre for Reproductive Research and Communication, CRRC. Through rigorous multidisciplinary research and impactful communication, the CRRC aims to inform policy, practice, and public discourse. You can find out more here.