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POLICE SEIZED ABORTION pills and two robots that were used to give the medicine to campaigners at a demonstration in Belfast.
Demonstrators from a number of groups including the campaign group Rosa – which played a role in the recent Eighth Amendment campaign – attended the event outside a courthouse in Belfast.
The demonstration saw an “abortion robot” – controlled remotely from the Netherlands – deliver abortion pills to women present. The pills are illegal to take in Northern Ireland if a woman is pregnant.
The robot is controlled remotely so that it avoids breaking the law in Northern Ireland, campaigners said.
Police confirmed they seized two small robots along with a number of pills, which were surrendered voluntarily, during the demonstration outside Laganside Court this afternoon.
Chief Inspector Stephen McCauley said
Officers recorded footage of the demonstration, the details of a number of participants and have spoken with one of the event organisers. We will be reviewing the footage to determine whether any offences have been committed, but as we are now investigating this matter, we will not be commenting further.
There was a strong police and media presence reported at the event.
Abortion remains illegal in Northern Ireland except in very rare circumstances where the life of a woman is at risk or there is a serious risk to her health.
Growing pressure
Pressure has been growing in Northern Ireland from campaigners to liberalise the nation’s abortion laws, following Ireland voting overwhelmingly to repeal the Eighth Amendment last week.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has come under pressure on foot of the referendum to introduce legislation to make abortion legal in the North. Northern Ireland’s legislation on abortion is separate to British and Irish law.
Speaking at the event today, Rosa spokesperson Eleanor Crossey Malone said that women in Northern Ireland were taking abortion pills “every single day”.
“As long as we don’t talk about it, as long as we act as though it is a secret, politicians aren’t under pressure to legislate on this issue.
But we’re bringing this issue into the spotlight in order to demand that politicians take action on this immediately.
After the demonstration, campaigners planned to drive the “abortion bus” around Northern Ireland to offer counselling and ultrasounds to women.
Solidarity-PBP TD Ruth Coppinger was also supporting the campaign.
“I’m very happy now to be supporting today’s action, which builds on that work,” she said.
These acts of civil disobedience supplied pregnant people with safe but illegal abortion pills, but they were also instrumental in shifting the debate on abortion.
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nice one
Vincent Browne is a ledgend and is the only real journalist out there that reports the issues that the public want to hear and not a load of bs that the government and the papers feed to its people every day.
I’m sick to death of hearing more of the same regurgitated about the bank debt…repeating it won’t change anything. Energies are better focused on what we can do to turn things around
Becaue the bank debt matters. You are paying for it with YOUR money. I’m not sure if your post is meant to be sarcastic but on the current trajectory, we are heading for a second bailout with savage austerity. If you’re ok with that, good luck!
I hear ya Brenda. (Most) Irish peoples attitudes are a big reason I want to do a few years abroad working, not the economic crisis!
A good news story, a murder suspect tracked down. Good work by Gardai & Interpol. a long wait for family of victim. Plenty of coverage of our banks etc … A dangerous man behind bars has to be a good result.
The Police have done their job but my original point is that people on here are starting the vigilante thing. Brave computer warriors. Aren’t people more concerned about issues close to home like our banking debts that we are saddled with?
Tim – your Facebook details alone scream anti anything other than Sinn Fein. Please reserve these ludicrous comments for relevant articles regarding government, economy, Europe (not the football) etc. otherwise stop peddling this anarchism on completely unrelated articles.nnThanks,nEvery other reader
Not every story is going to be about bank debt.
Can we move onto more relevant stories closer to home please. Namely, the Bank debt.
lol.. did you just get the internet yesterday? Bank debt.. shur that’s hardly relevant these days.
Anyways.. fair play to Interpol and our Gardai. At least something positive still exists in this debt ridden hole of ours!
mart,
You’re not as clever as you want others to believe. Few vigilantes go on a witchhunt except those with little or no news to report as a journalist. At least Vincent Browne is one respected journalist to admire – he covers issues of interest to the Irish people.
You need to lighten up, Tim. Not everything revolves around our national debt… good things can still happen when you fell like you’re in the doldrums.
Hi Tim,
Plenty of economic stories on the site today. Here’s just one:
Thanks,
Sinead
Jesus Tim, if you want to read about debt and economic woe by all means look at the titles before you click in. This is a good news story – yes, they still happen – don’t dampen it with your negativity. Good news TheJournal et al. I remember seeing the story a few weeks ago. nnNext theyve got to find DJ MorgIOS…couldn’t resist….
In the end there shall be only 1
My god Tim I’m losing the will to live reading your comments. How negative, boring and repetitive can one person be? Maybe you’re just trolling like lots of other people on this site?
What Bank debt, it’s now the Irish Taxpayers’ debt. The un-named bondholders are laughing all the way to their Euro banks with our money given to them by that idiot Cowen in late night deals and now supported by this spineless government.
If they put him in a cell with Sean Quinn, who would walk out alive?
If they put me in a cell with him instead of Sean Quinn, he’d probably walk out alive because I would probably have died from boredom.
Hyperbole media is replacing tabloid media. Personally, I no longer read newspapers that report on court cases because it’s merely an attempt to cover-up for their lack of journalism. Negative news reporting with titles like “man arrested for xyz” or “man jailed for xyz” is boorish.
“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations.”
― George Orwell
Yeah yeah yeah, whine, whine, whine, what a ball of fun your friends must find you. Life goes on with or without bank debt. I am not here forever and intend enjoying the time I am here so not planning on spending it whining.
Because the bank debt matters everything else doesn’t…. Yeah, sure, nice one… Go away, your boorish
Tim ( bank debt ) Jackson. Has a nice ring to it. As many here have pointed out there are a couple of stories here day to day on the dealings of the banks and they like of scoundrels like Quinn. This is the journal.ie not bankdebt.ie. it was interesting to see some post about your Facebook saying your were pro SF. Is it any wonder you are not find of Interpol. Half the shiners are on the run with a boot full of stolen ink
Edit .Fond of interpol. Thanks you and goodnight.
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