Ireland's First Abortion Clinic Opens Amid Protest In Belfast

Ireland’s first ever private abortion clinic opened in Belfast at 13.00 on Thursday, in the midst of almost 200 protesters.

A spokeswoman for Marie Stopes said that the clinic, which provides abortion up to nine weeks’ gestation and other sexual and reproductive services, has a number of appointments for today.

The clinic whose Belfast director is former Progressive Unionist Party leader Dawn Purvis is to open two days a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Anti-abortion protesters began arriving outside the building where the clinic is located from this morning. There was an initial group of about 50 from organisations such as Precious Life and UK Life, which grew to about 200 by noon.

Some carried placards with statements such as "Keep Ireland Abortion Free", "Abortion - We Can Live Without It" and "Ulster Says No to Abortion". Some also carried posters with pictures of aborted foetuses. Prayers were also said and hymns sung.

Bernadette Smyth, head of Precious Life, accused Marie Stopes of having an agenda to "break the law to change the law" so that the British 1967 Abortion Act could be introduced to Northern Ireland. "Marie Stopes is not welcome here, we want to close Marie Stopes," she said.

Ms Smyth added that there was great opposition to abortion in Northern Ireland, including at political level, and there was still a possibility that legal action could be taken to seek the closure of the clinic.

(H)