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Woman in Northern Ireland abortion pills case formally acquitted Woman in Northern Ireland abortion pills case formally acquitted
(32 minutes later)
A woman who was prosecuted for buying online abortion pills for her teenage daughter in Northern Ireland has been formally acquitted after landmark reform of the region’s laws. A woman who was prosecuted for buying online abortion pills for her teenage daughter in Northern Ireland has been formally acquitted after an overhaul of the region’s laws.
A judge directed a jury at Belfast crown court to find the defendant not guilty.A judge directed a jury at Belfast crown court to find the defendant not guilty.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been facing two counts of procuring and supplying the abortion drugs with the intent to procure a miscarriage, contrary to the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act.The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been facing two counts of procuring and supplying the abortion drugs with the intent to procure a miscarriage, contrary to the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act.
That 19th-century legislation fell away at midnight on Monday when abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland. The prosecution offered no evidence on Wednesday morning. That legislation expired at midnight on Monday when abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland. The prosecution offered no evidence on Wednesday morning.
After the verdict, the woman expressed her relief. “My emotions are all over the place and I find it hard to put into words how I am feeling,” she said. “For the first time in six years I can go back to being the mother I was, without the weight of this hanging over me every minute of every day and I can finally move on with my life. After the verdict, the woman said: “My emotions are all over the place and I find it hard to put into words how I am feeling. For the first time in six years I can go back to being the mother I was, without the weight of this hanging over me every minute of every day and I can finally move on with my life.
“I am so thankful that the change in the law will allow other women and girls to deal with matters like this privately in their own family circle.”“I am so thankful that the change in the law will allow other women and girls to deal with matters like this privately in their own family circle.”
Her solicitor, Jemma Conlon, of Chambers Solicitors, said: “Today is a day of immense relief for my client, who now finds herself free from the burden of this prosecution that has been in her life for six years. It is a day that she will forever remember and a day that allows her to finally move on with her life privately without anguish and criminalisation.” Her solicitor, Jemma Conlon of Chambers Solicitors, said: “Today is a day of immense relief for my client, who now finds herself free from the burden of this prosecution that has been in her life for six years.
“It is a day that she will forever remember and a day that allows her to finally move on with her life privately without anguish and criminalisation.”
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
AbortionAbortion
WomenWomen
HealthHealth
Reproductive rightsReproductive rights
Northern Irish politicsNorthern Irish politics
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