Olivia Coleman backs Amnesty International call for abortion services across Northern Ireland

She was backing an open letter from Amnesty International to the Northern Ireland Secretary of State.

The letter focused on a poll, carried out by Opinium for Amnesty, which surveyed 1,004 adults in Northern Ireland this month.

It found that only 10% of women here know how to access abortion services and that only 47% of adults are aware that abortion is lawful here – three years after it was decriminalised. It also found only only 46% would be comfortable speaking to their GP about accessing abortion and that 60% of adults think the government should do more to make abortion available and accessible.

Abortion was decriminalised in NI in 2019, however the Government has yet to establish abortion services across the region.

Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International's Northern Ireland Deputy Director, said: “The poll results are shocking but not completely surprising – the Government has been dragging its heels on getting abortion services up and running for three years.

“Half the population doesn’t realise abortion is now lawful and worryingly few know how to access services – this is a huge failure by the government, and their delays are having a harmful impact on those in need of this healthcare on a daily basis."

Celebrities including Bronagh Waugh, Olivia Coleman, Vick Hope and Juliet Stevenson have joined medical bodies, service providers and human rights bodies to support an open letter from Amnesty calling on the Secretary of State to urgently set up commissioned services across NI.