Monday, April 25, 2016

Abortion in Europe: Northern Ireland Conviction Inflames Debate



There's one thing that both anti-abortion and abortion-rights activists agree on. There's a shift underway in Europe — in politics, prosecution and protest. Battle lines are drawn for what threatens to be a nasty fight, with both sides taking cues from the U.S. In Part One of a series, NBC News examines the debate.

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Remember Donald Trump's suggestion that women be punished for abortions? Across the Atlantic it isn't just a throwaway suggestion from a politician. It's now a reality in a corner of the U.K. — and a chilling reminder to one woman.

"It could've happened to me," K. says. 

Life Imprisonment 

The act that made abortion legal in England, Scotland and Wales for women up to 24 weeks pregnant does not apply to another part of the U.K. — Northern Ireland.

That means that there is a near-total ban on abortion there, even in cases of rape, incest or fetal abnormalities. Terminations only are allowed under strict criteria: if the pregnancy threatens the mother's life or would adversely affect her mental health.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News 

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