Target: Mr Justice Horner
Goal: Applaud the historic ruling that says current abortion law is a violation of human rights and that can extend the grounds for abortion.
Thanks in part to pressure from ForceChange activists, the High Court in Belfast found that Northern Ireland’s current abortion law is a violation of human rights, meaning that the law may be changed to allow women access to receive an abortion in cases of rape, incest, and fatal foetal abnormalities.
These cases are currently not valid grounds for a woman to get an abortion. The current law only allows abortions in cases where the mother’s life is in danger or she’s at a serious risk of damage to her physical or mental health.
Although the ruling may not change the law to legalize abortion, it’s a step in the right direction towards protecting women and giving them more grounds for making decisions about their own bodies. Now, rape survivors will not be forced to carry a child that was the result of rape.
Thousands of Irish women travel each year to England in order to gain access to abortion because of strict laws in Ireland. This ruling could mean a future where this is no longer necessary. Applaud this win for women’s rights and let us hope that the progress continues.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr Justice Horner,
Thanks to your ruling, women may now have more grounds for abortion in cases of rape, incest, and fatal foetal abnormalities. Not allowing women reproductive autonomy, especially in cases where they are a victim of sexual assault in rape, is a major violation of human rights, and I am glad to see that you recognized that.
Although we still have a long way to go, I hope this ruling helps open eyes on why women need to have access to abortion and should be allowed to make their own decisions about their body.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Debra Sweet
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