Political sensitivities prioritised over rights of women, court hears

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis (Rebecca Black/PA)

The British government’s failure to establish full abortion services for women in Northern Ireland is a “lamentable and deeply troubling exercise in finger-pointing”, the High Court in Belfast has heard.

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has launched a judicial review against Secretary of State Brandon Lewis, as well as the Northern Ireland Executive and the region’s Department of Health over their failure to commission and fund abortion services.