Paula Bradshaw MLA has warned that those with responsibility for women’s reproductive healthcare must now live up to that responsibility, after the announcement that the central access point to early medical abortion services operated by Informing Choices NI will be withdrawn from October.

The South Belfast MLA stated: “The Board and staff of Informing Choices and, more importantly, women themselves should never have been put in a position whereby access to basic reproductive services is being denied to them because some Ministers in the Executive block the implementation of the law.

“The shameful politicisation of basic healthcare services for women is another catastrophic failure by some with responsibility to live up to that responsibility. These are fundamental international human rights obligations enshrined in domestic law in Northern Ireland since 2019.

“Although this should not be the case, it will now fall to the Secretary of State to intervene and ensure services are in place before October. I would urge him to act swiftly.”