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As many women of all gender-identities, races, classes and ages are aware, the abortion laws in Northern Ireland are one of the most dangerous and limiting in the world.

Recently, attention has been drawn to the blanket ban on abortion in place in the North as a result of the attack on reproductive rights in America by right-wing, conservative administrations.

However, under a law from 1861, Northern Ireland has criminalised abortion with a maximum sentence of life in prison. Both the medical practitioner who carries out the abortion and the recipient face prison time.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Marie Stopes International (@mariestopes) on

Rape and incest are not allowed as exceptions, only if the mother's life is in danger.

As we saw in the Republic, that is a very difficult line to draw, and essentially gives the foetus equal rights to the mother, despite the fact that it cannot survive outside of her body until late in the pregnancy.

These laws are extremely different from the rest of the UK, where abortion is allowed up until 24 weeks since 1967.

These controversial laws have been condemned in recent years, with the Supreme Court calling it 'untenable' and in need of 'radical reconsideration', and the UN Human Rights body CEDAW referring to it as a 'grave and systematic' violation of NI women's rights.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Medical bodies, women's rights organisations, politicians and a large part of the general public are calling on Karen Bradley, NI's Secretary of State, to unite Stormont in legalising abortion in NI and regulate it in the same way as every other medical procedure.

If the intense stipulations of the 1967 Act are not met, both people with uteruses and their doctors remain at risk of prosecution.

Alarmingly, five out of the six Conservative candidates for the Tory leadership recently said they would take no action against NI's laws, and Boris Johnson failed to answer the question.

Celebrities are using their platform to spread the message, yet there remains almost a total silence from politicians themselves.

We decided to take it upon ourselves to quiz Irish men on their knowledge of the highly restrictive abortion laws (God help us), to see how the other half lives.

The answers we received ranged from having absolutely zero clue about the reproductive healthcare policies, to knowing more about the current 'Heartbeat Bills' sweeping across Gilead/America's Southern states, to knowing about the laws in surprising detail.

The following range of people who identify as male in the Rep. of Ireland have offered their first names, and will remain otherwise anonymous. 

Dan:

"I know that they can go to England to get it done for free, so it's similar to our right to travel law we had before Repeal. I also remember it being slightly more liberal than our Eighth Amendment. I think it accounts for situations where the mothers life is at risk and will be permit abortions in that circumstance, but it's otherwise banned. They’re a joke. It's the only part of the United Kingdom or Ireland to ban abortion, you could say it's Draconian."

Cian:

"I'd say the women in the North see going to England as less of a big deal than going over from Republic of Ireland because they see themselves as closer to English. I don't know much about them to be honest."

Eoin:

"I have absolutely no clue about the North's abortion policy, but I'm guessing it's sh*t."

Kev:

"Is it the same as England? I've been following bits about it from Aisling Bea's Instagram, she's very forward on that stuff. I do like her a lot, but I just know they don't have access to abortion. That's it. I saw that the North have made a logo for Repeal that's similar to ours."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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James:

"I think no abortions are allowed in Northern Ireland. I believe it should be the exact same as laws in England. I did have to think about it, though. I am 100 percent unfamiliar with the specifics of the law in Northern Ireland and what special situations it may be allowed."

Marcus:

"There is no access to abortion in the North, which is not in line with rest of UK. I believe that women in the North should be able to access these services. The Derry Girls cast, Nicola Coughlan and Siobhan McSweeney particularly, are quite active in drawing attention to protesting the lack of services. I think they led the suitcase protest at Westminster."

(#DerryGirls REPRESENT.)

@theirishfor:

"I know that the law is different there because of a weird time overlap between the 1967 UK legislation and the existence of the Old Stormont parliament. Irish women pay taxes to fund an NHS that won't serve them such services. I do not agree with them."

Brian:

"Call me Jon Snow because I know nothing. I'd have said that abortion wasn't available at all but don't know much else. And of course it should be available."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Calum:

"I thought it wasn’t the same as the rest of UK but that you could get the abortion pills through Northern Ireland, but obviously not as safely."

Dave:

"I just assumed it was the same as UK. I'm self-proclaimed ignorant when it comes to these topics though."

It's safe to say that a little more notice should be taken by men towards this issue. Supporting our Northern sisters can be progressed if we educate men on the issue; it's crucial not to forget their importance.

We're getting some extreme Handmaid's Tale vibes from up North, but if we can Repeal the eighth then there's hope for them too.

Men hold a huge amount of power when it comes to female reproductive healthcare, and it's time we start educating them about it.

Feature image: Amnesty International/Simon Graham

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Activists are gathering in Chechnya following reports of mass arrests, torture and murder of LGBT people in the Russian republic.

A complaint has been filed by activists in the gay and trans communities who are demanding that Russian authorities open a criminal investigation into the reported homophobic campaign by security forces.

The LGBT Network, a St Petersburg-based organisation, stated that it submitted the complaint to the Investigative Committee, which is the equivalent of MI5 or the FBI.

As a result, LGBT+ activists are gathering this Monday, February 4 at 6:30pm outside the Russian Embassy to show their solidarity with the Chechen gay community.

The The LGBT Network are demanding that the alleged detention or at least 14 people and death of one person be investigated, as well as probing claims of torture.

The group are attempting to compel Russian authorities to act on the reported new wave of persecution targeting Chechnya's gay community, Chechnya is predominantly Muslin, and is ruled by the dictatorial leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

In 2017, the campaign of hatred saw dozens of gay men rounded up and tragically tortured. Chechen authorities shockingly asserted that homosexuality doesn't exist in Chechnya, thereby denying the claims.

Director of the LGBT Network, Igor Kochetkov, told ABC News that the 14 cases in the complaint only applies to one police station in the capital, but there are others being detained all over the country.

The director said; "We believe several dozen people are detained, no lower than 40." His organisation helped dozens of gay men escape the country in 2017, and aided them in their search for asylum abroad.

Police are reportedly seizing the victims' passports when they are detained in order to stop them from fleeing, according to Kochetkov. Unlike two years ago, this time women are also being detained.

The Investigative Committee have declined to open a criminal case and rejected any appeals against the decision. 

In response, Irish groups such as; Amnesty International, BeLonG to Youth Services, Dublin Bears Events, Dublin LGBTQ Pride, FLAC, GCN, Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, Outhouse, ShoutOut, The Rainbow Project, USI, This is Me, the National LGBT Foundation and NUI Maynooth have pledged solidarity with the LGBT+ community in Chechnya.

Image; Facebook 

Groups and activists will gather this coming Monday in protest of the alleged treatment of gay Chechan people.

They wrote on their event page; "Since December, violence and persecution against those perceived as being members of the LGBT+ community in Chechnya has escalated. The Russian LGBT+ Network has reported that up to 40 people have been illegally detained, while a further two have died as a result of torture."

"We are calling on the Irish government to officially respond to the human rights violations being perpetrated in the region," it continues. They are also making a list of requests for the Irish government and the United Nations.

"We condemn the escalating violence against LGBT+ people and urge An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, to publicly condemn the anti-LGBT+ crackdown. The Irish Government must raise this issue at the highest possible level with Russian leaders and call for an immediate end to this harrowing persecution."

They also make demands for asylum seekers to receive protection;

"The Irish government needs to live up to its international protection obligations to recognise and protect Chechen refugees who reach Ireland, as well as using its full consular influence, facilities and resources to support The Russian LGBT+ Network in its vital work in Russia and the region at this time in affording safe options to those at risk."

"We call for the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate the human rights situation in the Chechen Republic."

They concluded with a rousing statement; "The Irish LGBT+ community will not let this matter rest or fall out of the news cycle. We will continue to stand with the LGBT+ community in Chechnya and demand that the Russian authorities put an end to the violence and bring those responsible to justice."

The protest takes place this Monday February 4 at 6:30pm in Rathgar, outside the Russian Embassy. We'll see you there.

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The United Nations Human Rights Committee has ruled against Irish abortion laws for the second time in just over a year.

The committee ruled that the treatment of a woman who was denied an abortion in 2010 was cruel, inhuman and degrading.

After being denied a termination in Ireland, Siobhan Whelan travelled to the UK after learning of a fatal foetal abnormality.

Speaking about the ruling, Leah Hocter from the European Centre for Reproductive Rights explained:

"It is obliged, under international law, to guarantee non repetition of the violations she endured," she said.

"And what this means is that Ireland must take effective measures to ensure that other women do not have to face similar violations in the future.

"As a result, the committee has outlined that Ireland is obliged to undertake law reform, to change its laws on abortion so as to legalise abortion in Ireland."

This ruling follows a similar case in June 2016 when another Irish woman's human rights were violated after she was refused a termination on Irish soil.

Amanda Mellet was 21-weeks pregnant when she learned that her child would not survive outside the womb due to a condition known as Edwards' syndrome.

After being told this devastating news, Amanda was given two options – carry to full term, or seek an abortion abroad.

Amanda spent €3,000 on a termination in Liverpool, and stayed for just 12 hours as she could not afford to spend the night.

She was later compensated €30,000 following a ruling by the United Nations Human Rights Committee. 

With Ireland's strict abortion laws in desperate need of reform, groups like Amnesty International have welcomed the UN's ruling, saying:

“While we welcome this ruling, it is outrageous that women have to go to the UN to have their human rights respected.”

A thought surely echoed by women across the country today.  

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December 10 marked International Human Rights Day, and people took the opportunity to voice their opinions about abortion on social media.

Taking to Twitter, Repeal the 8th supporters donned their Repeal Project  jumpers in honour of the day, and debate roared on the social media site about one of Ireland's most controversial topics. 

While it's definitely a touchy subject on Irish shores, the Repeal the 8th movement has gained a lot of support since it's founding, with Repeal jumpers becoming the failsafe way to wear your political opinions on your sleeve (literally). 

Pro-choice supporters took the opportunity to use the #HumanRightsDay hashtag to further the cause of reproductive rights, after the United Nations called Ireland's abortion ban "cruel, inhumane and degrading" back in July; this came after Irish woman Amanda Mellet filed a complaint with the UN, when she was forced to "travel" for a termination. 

Amanda complained that the State’s ban on abortion had violated her human rights under international law, and the United Nation's Human Rights Committee agreed.

Both sides were out in force on the hashtag, as pro-life advocates used anonymous accounts to voice their opinions on the matter. 

"The right to life is the biggest and most important human right abortion takes that away abortion destroys human right," said one. 

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