Northern Ireland's strict abortion law breaches the human rights of women, the Belfast High Court on Monday said in a “historic” ruling, three years after an Indian dentist died after doctors in the “Catholic country” refused to terminate her 17-week pregnancy due to the legislation.
The long-awaited judgment could lead to the victims of rape and incest as well those suffering from fatal foetal abnormalities having terminations in Northern Irish hospitals.
At present, local medical teams could be jailed for life for carrying out abortions under most circumstances because of the 19th-century law.