As many as 400 anti-abortion activsts stage a demonstration against the opening of Northern Ireland’s first private abortion clinic.
Campaigners from groups including the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child and Precious Life demonstrated outside the the Marie Stopes clinic, which was opened in Belfast this morning.
Abortion is available on the NHS under restricted circumstances in Northern Ireland. Marie Stopes says that it is opening the clinic to offer women more options, including opportunities to avoid potentially awkward situations when facing, for example, family GPs.
The organisation also says that it has come across stories of women who say that medical staff in Northern Ireland have refused them abortions even when they consider it medically neccessary.
This morning, Northern Ireland’s Attorney General called for an investigation into the opening of the clinic. John Larkin, who is the chief legal adviser to the Stormont Executive, has written to the justice committee asking it to look into the practices of the new facility At their height, the number of protesters swelled to around 400, according to the PSNI.
Bernadette Smyth, from the Precious Life lobby group which organised the rally, said: “There is no will for Marie Stopes to be here, they are not welcome here. The people here want to make a stand. Unborn children here are precious and there is no will for abortion to be legalised here from the people or politicians. It’s clear that unborn children are protected here.
“We are still seeking legal advice. I would not rule out an injunction. I am still working with the justice system and our politicians to ensure that Marie Stopes does not take the lives of any unborn children.”
Jeffrey Donaldson, an MP with the Democratic Union Party, told Channel 4 News: “We don’t see that there’s any need, given that the 1967 abortion act doesn’t extend to Northern Ireland, and the NHS can provide abortion.
“Marie Stopes [in Northern Ireland] will have to comply with the law, and they will have to be monitored to make sure they do comply.”
The new centre will be headed by Progressive Unionist Party MLA Dawn Purvis.
Marie Stopes says that it will offer women terminations in accordance with the law in Northern Ireland, which states that a women can have an abortion if their life or mental health is at serious risk, and up to 9 weeks gestation. It is being offered for £430 for a consultation and the procedure.
Due to restrictions on abortion in Northern Ireland, women also travel to England or to other places where they can be offered a termination. Many have also resorted to ordering abortion pills through the internet.
A spokeswoman for Marie Stopes International told Channel 4 News: “We have seen a lot of women that fall under the criteria [to legally have an abortion in Northern Ireland] and they have no idea they can get it on the NHS.
“Sometimes they don’t want to go to their GP, or even, their GP sometimes would have been opposed to abortion and wouldn’t refer them for an abortion.
“We can offer women a slightly different service, particularly around providing confidential care.”
The PSNI this morning urged members of the media not to film or photograph the faces of any members of staff of the new centre, and said that it had spoken to the clinic in general terms about security.
It confirmed that the protest passed off peacefully, and that there were no arrests.