ABSTRACT
After the Abortion Act of 1967, many people felt that the issue was settled. In the 1960s, suicide had ceased to be a criminal offence, the death penalty had been abolished, homosexuality had been legalized and birth control had become openly available to single people. In 1975, Abortion Law Reform Association (ALRA) changed its aims to promote a woman's right to choose abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, and in 1977 this right was extended to viability. However, in 2002 at its AGM, ALRA took the view that it should seek abortion on request up to 14 weeks, and that there should be no change in the law from 14 weeks to viability. The Family Planning Association has an important role in working for improved education on issues related to contraception and abortion. The law on abortion in Northern Ireland is so uncertain that it violates the standards of international human rights law.
