Women in Northern Ireland dressed like Handmaids and took the abortion pill to protest the country’s abortion ban

While women of Ireland just celebrated a monumental abortion rights victory on May 25th, when the country repealed an amendment which banned essentially all abortions, the women of Northern Ireland are still in the midst of a critical fight.

Northern Ireland — a distinct and separate nation from Ireland and a member of the United Kingdom — is one of only two nations in Europe that still outlaws abortion. And next week, the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court will vote on whether or not this ban is compatible with human rights.

On Thursday, May 31st, protesters stood outside the highest court in Belfast, the country’s capital, and took what they claimed were abortion pills, also known as a medication abortion, which is technically illegal in Northern Ireland. Police officers reportedly attempted to drag one of the women who took the pill away, but ultimately gave up after a group of fellow protestors surrounded her and a commanding officer called them off.

🇬🇧 Same sex marriage ALLOWED
🇮🇪 Same sex marriage ALLOWED

🇬🇧 Abortion ALLOWED
🇮🇪 Abortion ALLOWED (exit polls suggest #RepealThe8th will win by a considerable margin)

Northern Ireland? Same sex marriage and abortion are still illegal.

All eyes on you, Northern Ireland.

— George Aylett (@GeorgeAylett) May 25, 2018

Fortunately, no legal action could be taken against the activists since it cannot be determined if they were pregnant when they ingested the medication, nor can it be confirmed that the pills were actually the abortion pill. Some of the women also dressed in red “Handmaids” robes as they protested.

According to TheGuardian.com, one of the protestors, a woman named Eleanor Crossey Malone, told television cameras that,

“I have taken this in defiance of the extremely outdated, medieval, anti-choice laws that exist in Northern Ireland, she said. “We are not willing in the wake of the repeal referendum to be left behind any longer.

BREAK: Pro Choice Campaigners questioned but not arrested despite taking illegal abortion pills in Belfast. Is the law now unenforceable in Northern Ireland? @SkyNews pic.twitter.com/IXimxNQ27J

— Darren McCaffrey (@darrenmccaffrey) May 31, 2018

The right to legal and safe abortions is critical for the health, safety, and basic dignity of women everywhere, and we stand with all those protesting in Northern Ireland. We’ll be closely monitoring the outcome of next week’s vote.