Belfast woman to go on trial for 'helping daughter have an abortion'

Unlike the rest of the UK, abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland even in the event of rape, incest or serious malformation of the foetus

A coat of arms is pictured at the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Headquarters in Belfast (PETER MUHLY/AFP/Getty Images)

A Belfast woman is to go on trial for helping her daughter have a medical abortion, it has been reported.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, the Northern Irish woman appeared in court yesterday “to face two charges of unlawfully procuring a medical abortion medicine known for its use in terminating pregnancies.”

The woman, who has not been named in order to protect her daughter’s identity, is accused of supplying the drug Mifepristone or Misoprostol, which can be used to terminate pregnancies.

The allegations relate to incidents said to have occurred in Belfast in 2013.

The woman has been released on bail.

Unlike the rest of the UK, abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland except in very limited circumstances. The Belfast High Court is currently holding a review of whether terminations should be a legal option for women who have conceived as a result of rape, incest, or in the case of such severe malformation of the foetus that it could not survive outside the womb.