Abstract
How a society legislates on abortion raises challenging and controversial issues. We are currently
conducting pilot work in this area to consider the contrasts in abortion policy globally, nationally and
regionally. This has included desk research and discussions with some stakeholder organisations.
The pilot work will inform the design of a larger scale project which we are currently seeking funding
for. Preliminary findings are reported below.
This Policy Briefing sets out abortion law and policy in Northern Ireland (NI) from its inception to date,
setting it within the international context, Great Britain (GB) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI). To
contribute to discussion and debate on the prevailing law and policy in NI in this area, this Briefing
also examines evidence related to the demand for abortion services in NI, including an analysis of 10
year trends in the profile of those who travel to England and Wales for abortion services, looking at
age, marital status and ethnic identity (white Irish/ white British). It also provides analysis of data that
is available on those who access abortion services in NI and considers briefly issues related to selfabortion at home. In conclusion, the Briefing identifies issues which will facilitate the development of
broader research themes and additional sources of data, thereby enabling a comprehensive
consideration of the range of issues impacting on abortion policy.
conducting pilot work in this area to consider the contrasts in abortion policy globally, nationally and
regionally. This has included desk research and discussions with some stakeholder organisations.
The pilot work will inform the design of a larger scale project which we are currently seeking funding
for. Preliminary findings are reported below.
This Policy Briefing sets out abortion law and policy in Northern Ireland (NI) from its inception to date,
setting it within the international context, Great Britain (GB) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI). To
contribute to discussion and debate on the prevailing law and policy in NI in this area, this Briefing
also examines evidence related to the demand for abortion services in NI, including an analysis of 10
year trends in the profile of those who travel to England and Wales for abortion services, looking at
age, marital status and ethnic identity (white Irish/ white British). It also provides analysis of data that
is available on those who access abortion services in NI and considers briefly issues related to selfabortion at home. In conclusion, the Briefing identifies issues which will facilitate the development of
broader research themes and additional sources of data, thereby enabling a comprehensive
consideration of the range of issues impacting on abortion policy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 1 Mar 2016 |
Keywords
- abortion
- abortion policy
