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Woman denied abortion in Northern Ireland was subjected to cruel treatment, says UN

BMJ 2016; 353 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i3286 (Published 10 June 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;353:i3286
  1. Clare Dyer
  1. The BMJ

A United Nations human rights committee has called on the Republic of Ireland to reform its draconian law on abortion, after holding that the country’s virtual ban on abortion subjected a woman to cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment, violating her human rights.

A UN panel of experts found that Ireland’s virtual ban on abortion had forced Amanda Mellet to choose “between continuing her non-viable pregnancy or travelling to another country while carrying a dying foetus, at personal expense, and separated from the support of her family, and to return while not fully recovered.”

This violated her right to …

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