Woman who took abortion pills in Belfast has been given a suspended sentence

A Northern Ireland woman who took abortion pills she had procured online in order to terminate her pregnancy has been given a three-month sentence, suspended for two years.

The woman, who has not been named in the media, was 19-years old at the time of her actions. She terminated her pregnancy between 10-12 weeks. Her housemates contacted the PSNI after they found bloodstained clothes and evidence of the foetus in a bin by the house. The woman claimed the drugs she had taken - mifepristone and misoprostol - were suggested to her by an advice clinic based in England. However, as the presiding judge explained, the abortion law in England differs to abortion law in Northern Ireland. The legislation under which she was prosecuted was 150 years old.