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UK Wedding News

08/09/2017

RCM Calls For Clarification Over Abortion Referrals

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has called on Northern Ireland's Department of Health to clarify guidance on abortion referrals for midwives and other healthcare professionals in the region.

The organisation's comments come after it was announced earlier this week that the threat of prosecution against midwives and other medical professionals in the region to make abortion referrals to the UK has been lifted.

Amnesty International confirmed that Barra McGrory QC, Director for Public Prosecutions in Northern Ireland, had told them that he can see "no risk of criminal prosecution for NHS employees in Northern Ireland who refer women to NHS hospitals and clinics in the rest of the UK."

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Commenting on the development, Breedagh Hughes, the RCM's Director for Northern Ireland, said: "Midwives have been operating in a climate of fear of prosecution since 2013. Women in Northern Ireland have not been getting the care and referrals to services in the UK that they really need because of this threat which we now know does not exist.

"This is a welcome development and will enable us to look after women who seek or need abortion services. Midwives and other healthcare professionals will now be able to refer women to the rest of the UK for abortion services, confident that they will not face prosecution or criminal sanctions.

"The RCM is now calling on the Department of Health in Northern Ireland to issue clear guidance on referring women for abortion to midwives and all those working in this area of healthcare."

(JP/LM)

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"The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has called on Northern Ireland's Department of Health to clarify guidance on abortion referrals for midwives and other healthcare professionals in the region."