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<p>We recognise that access to abortion services is an emotive and sensitive issue
for many. In July 2019, Parliament imposed on the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland a duty under section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act
2019 to ensure all of the CEDAW recommendations are implemented in Northern Ireland.
This is a matter of domestic, not international, law.</p><p> </p><p>The devolution
settlement does not absolve us of our responsibility to uphold the rights of women
and girls, given the duty in section 9 of the EF Act did not fall away with the restoration
of the Executive, nor with the making of the initial regulations that came into force
on 31 March 2020.</p><p> </p><p>While we made the Regulations last March providing
the framework for access to abortions, and some service provision commenced, this
has not discharged those legal duties in full. We carefully considered the views and
evidence presented through the consultation - including those who took the time to
share individual, and often deeply personal experiences, to help shape the final framework
for Northern Ireland. The CEDAW Report and recommendations require that evidence based
protocols are adopted in terms of provision of services in Northern Ireland, and we
took particular account of the views and evidence provided by experts and medical
professionals, alongside the views of other respondents in making decisions on the
final proposals. We considered the range of views in light of our legal obligations,
and took evidenced based decisions, in order to bring forward a new legislative framework
that is operationally sound, works best for Northern Ireland and that delivers on
the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s duty. To this end, we developed an abortion
framework that provides access to services consistent with what the CEDAW Report and
the section 9 duty require.</p><p> </p><p>We consider the Regulations to also be compatible
with the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and we are confident that the legal
framework put in place, and the ongoing efforts to ensure the CEDAW recommendations
are implemented, is lawful in light of case law and the statutory obligations imposed
on the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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