Northern Ireland allows abortions for up to 24 weeks. However, the BBC reported that 18-year-old Olivia, who was 18 weeks pregnant, had to travel to London to get an abortion. The travel and the ordeal as a whole took a massive mental toll on the high schooler.
Before 2019, thousands of women from Northern Ireland would travel to London. However, 2019 saw the decriminalization of abortion in the region. Abortion services were introduced in 2020 in Northern Ireland. However, three years later, as many as 145 women traveled outside NI to receive an abortion, at least 60 of whom were less than 12 weeks pregnant.
A schoolgirl who was wrongly sent from Northern Ireland to England for a termination was traumatised by the ordeal, her mother has said. She said the 18-year-old was forced to wait for a flight home after the procedure while bleeding and cramping https://t.co/qOxC9PIzAv
— LawNewsIndex.com (@TheLawMap) March 16, 2026
Alliance for Choice member Emma Campbell talked about why this phenomenon occurs. She said that it is likely that the women who traveled outside NI were not aware that these services are available closer to them. She said, “We have a great team of doctors, midwives, and nurses who are all voluntarily willing to do this service. But some people are just not getting access to it.”
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service is an important part of the abortion journey for many women in the country. The service has to be contacted by any woman who wishes to get an abortion. The service focuses on directing women to local healthcare trusts. BPAS was responsible for referring Olivia to London rather than a location that was closer to her home. Her mother was informed that the mistake was the result of confusion around how many weeks in the pregnancy an abortion was allowed in the region.
Olivia is a pseudonym used to protect her identity. Her mother was astonished that seven years after abortion was decriminalized in the region, such issues could still occur. She said, “I can’t believe that in 2026 – seven years after abortion was liberalized here – women are still having to travel to England. Services are in place in Northern Ireland. How on earth can that be allowed to happen?”
Alliance Party health spokesperson Nuala McAllister spoke about the number of women who traveled outside NI in 2023 to get an abortion. She said, “Whenever I did a quick Google search of what’s available, as an elected representative, it was hard for me to actually find out information. And so we’re having women in a very vulnerable position having to travel for abortions when they should rightly deserve to get that access here.”
