Campaigners and human rights groups are now working to draft legislation to introduce safe access zones around health centres that provide abortion services, in a bid to get laws passed as soon as possible. However, health minister Stephen Donnelly later said he is "fully committed" to legislating for safe access zones, but did not provide firm timelines, which Green Party members are now calling for. She said it is "desperately disappointing" that safe access zones, which had been promised when abortion services were introduced in early 2019, and which are also committed to in the programme for government, have yet to be introduced. However, she said the lack of safe access zones are only one of a number of problems that still exist around abortion services in this country. “Legislation providing for access to abortion services is not enough — we also need to ensure that women have safe access and are protected when they seek out abortion services,” she said.

Source: Irish Examiner August 09, 2021 05:26 UTC