Below is an extract of a post published on Metro titled "Northern Ireland abortion policy is ‘torture’ says UN official"
Scroll down to the bottom of this article and tap the read article button to visit the Metro post directly and give your opinion.
Make america great again.- Donald Trump.
What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog.- Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.- Theodore Roosevelt.
Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak and esteem to all.- George Washington.
America 1st Girl is a Blog by Conservative Artist Cara Sky.
Essentially i Blog on all things Donald Trump and on occasion post my own Art.
I curate Donald Trump articles and notable Tweets on your behalf from all over the web into one easy site for you to browse without trolling through hundreds of different sites or posts.
America 1st Girl is not affiliated with the journalist or Twitter user who published the original article or Tweet, nor is she responsible for any affiliations the journalist or Tweeter user in question may hold.
Everything here on America 1st Girl is Donald Trump related from Media to Podcasts, Forums, Blogs and Fan groups.
Via: Metro
UN deputy high commissioner for human rights Kate Gilmore has criticised the Westminster government for not stepping in and helping the women of Northern Ireland The abortion policy in Northern Ireland is ‘tantamount to torture’, according to the UN deputy high commissioner for human rights. Kate Gilmore said it was a form of ‘gender-based violence’ and ‘unconscionable’ that women face life in jail for having a termination, even in cases of rape. She added that worldwide there was a terrifying attack on women’s rights, spurred on by extremist forces. But she singled out the UK government for criticism after their continual failure to step in and force equal rights for the women of Northern Ireland. Ms Gilmore told Metro.co.uk: ‘I’m sure the situation for women there is intolerable. ‘It’s inhuman, it’s cruel and it’s tantamount to torture in certain conditions. ‘But why is it being tolerated? Why is it somehow acceptable? There is a very slack approach to the most unconscionable treatment. ‘How can we tolerate for one minute more, the abandonment of our children to this ignorance and the abandonment of our daughters to lives that don’t protect their bodies?’ She added: ‘The women of Northern Ireland themselves are demanding a change in the law. ‘They will not be shut up and they will not be shut down until something happens. ‘It is unconscionable that women are deprived of safe abortions and that the UK allows this policy.’ Alliance for Choice and other pro-choice groups from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland campaign for the right to terminations in Northern Ireland (Picture: Reuters) Ms Gilmore said depriving women of legal abortion was to deprive them of their ‘right to health’ and said the current situation across the US under Donald Trump was a ‘crisis.’ Speaking at a Guardian event in London, she added: ‘We have not called it out in the same way we have other forms of extremist hate, but this is gender-based violence against women, no question.’ The UK’s Abortion Act 1967, which allows for lawful abortions across Great Britain up to 24 weeks into pregnancy – and beyond in some circumstances – was never applied in Northern Ireland. Terminations therefore are currently illegal in all but exceptional medical or mental health circumstances with no provision for rape, incest or foetal abnormality. Last year just 12 abortions took place within Northern Ireland. At the same time, 28 women a week travelled to England for a termination while hundreds of others were forced to buy safe, but illegal, pills over the internet. A woman or anyone facilitating an abortion faces life in jail under the Victorian 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. Prosecutions still happen and an unnamed mother is currently fighting in the courts after she bought abortion pills online for her 15-year-old daughter. Pro-choice demonstrators have accused the Tories of using women’s bodies ‘as bargaining chips’ (Picture: Reuters) The UN has said the restrictive abortion laws are in breach of the UK’s international human rights obligations. Westminster has always washed its hands of the issue, saying it is a matter for the devolved government. But an alliance of fundamentalist Protestant Christians, the Catholic Church and the Democratic Unionist Party has continually worked to block moves towards reforming strict laws in the country. Within the Northern Ireland Assembly, the DUP have always used a legal mechanism known as the petition of concern as an effective veto. The Assembly has not been functional for the last two years after the power-sharing agreement between Sinn Fein and the DUP collapsed. However, the Tories – who rely on the DUP to prop up their minority government – have been reluctant to step in. Recent legislation proposed by Labour MP Stella Creasy was thwarted by the Tories ‘so as not to cause problems with the DUP.’ London-Irish Abortion Rights campaign spokesperson, Cara Sanquest, called on people to email their MPs to demand change. She added: ‘The law in Northern Ireland is one of the harshest in the world and that is something people do have the power to change. ‘The Tories are relying on the DUP for votes in Parliament and they are strongly against abortion. ‘What this means is that the Tories are using the bodies of women in Northern Ireland as bargaining chips.’ United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore said there was a sustained attack happening on women (Picture: Reuters) Polls suggest two-thirds of voters would actually support a law change and make terminations legal. Last year, people in the Republic of Ireland voted overwhelmingly to change their laws and make abortion legal – setting up a situation where women on the island of Ireland are not treated equally. Politician Baroness Jenny Tonge, speaking at the event hosted by the Guardian in partnership with the Center for Reproductive Rights, called the current situation ‘ridiculous.’ She added: ‘There are a lot of MPs and members of the House of Lords who want the abortion issue to be taken over by the UK government. ‘The DUP must be laughing all the way home. They have Westminster by the short and curlies. ‘It’s quite ridiculous. ‘We are being governed by a bunch of some 10 DUP politicians – who are the most extreme, right wing, anti-women group. They are running the place. ‘It’s quite crazy that the government hasn’t had the courage and the oomph to say “this has gone on long enough.”‘ Baroness Jenny Tonge said there were plenty of people in Parliament who want the Conservative Party to step in (Picture: Getty) The DUP’s Paul Givan said last month that Great Britain had the wrong policy on abortion, which ‘had resulted in over eight million deaths of unborn children.’ He added that 100,000 people were alive in Northern Ireland because of their stance. Since 1968, around 80,000 women have travelled to England to have a termination. In 2017, Westminster did abolish charges for women from Northern Ireland getting an NHS abortion in England. Travel and accommodation costs are available if women are on benefits or earn less than £15,300. Abortion Support Network has helped fund women who are struggling but said there were still others who had resorted to extreme self-harm in order to provoke a miscarriage. Campaigners say that far from being the ‘sexually careless’ as portrayed by pro-life groups, it is women from all walks of life who are affected. Half had their contraception fail, half were already parents while last year the oldest was in her 50s and the youngest just 12.
