Tonight at Lisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council, there is notice of a motion, proposed by DUP Cllr Ben Mallon, which includes the statements:
“…this council believes that in pregnancy both lives matter, the mother and the unborn child. “This commitment to the rights of both must be reflected in the support provided to mothers, the unborn children and their families throughout their pregnancy… This council calls for a Perinatal Hospice Care facility or service in Northern Ireland to be established to provide the best medical and emotional support for those who are faced with the diagnosis of a severe life-limiting condition.”
Alliance for Choice welcomes the call for better established perinatal care for families faced with such tragic diagnosis. We believe that all families deserve to be given the option of perinatal care as part of a range of options, as would be offered to our counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales. There have been families who have been faced with such a decision not once, but twice and often the second time around they feel unable to carry the pregnancy to term once again. It is circumstances such as these which underline the need for medical and emotional support, regardless of the choices of the family. All support, whether perinatal or termination of pregnancy, should be given in this country so that people aren’t then forced into the indignities that come with having to travel outside your jurisdiction for healthcare without the team caring for you until this point.
Alliance for Choice hope the motion is successful and we also hope the DUP are even handed in offering all available options to women and pregnant people in Northern Ireland faced with such heart-breaking decisions.
Women from Northern Ireland (NI) can now access free abortion care in England. BPAS operates the booking system for NI women requiring treatment.
To make a booking call 0333 234 2184