It set out the measures in a statutory instrument known as the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021.
In July 2021, Brandon Lewis issued the Abortion Services Directions 2021, setting a deadline of March 31, 2022, for the commissioning of expanded abortion services.
SPUC took Lewis to court, arguing that he had exceeded his authority. But the High Court in Belfast dismissed all grounds of challenge.
Writing on his Twitter account on Feb. 8, Lewis welcomed the ruling.
“I am pleased that today’s high court judgment has recognised that the UK Government acted lawfully in protecting the rights of women & girls. Women & girls have a right to access full abortion services in NI & I will now consider all options to ensure these are available,” he wrote.
SPUC’s Liam Gibson said: “Not only will Mr. Lewis’s direction condemn to death an untold number of unborn babies, but it is also a gross abuse of political power.”
“The Northern Ireland Office’s high-handed attitude may have already inflicted a fatal blow on the devolution settlement.”
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