'Suitcase march' calling for abortion access in North takes place today
A march demanding that abortion be decriminalised in Northern Ireland is to take place today.
28 women will join a 'suitcase march' demonstration to hand Amnesty International's petition to the North's Secretary of State.
The number 28 represents the number of women who travel from Northern Ireland to England or Wales for an abortion each week.
"28 women will take part in today's petition hand-in. That is to represent 28 women per week who are travelling to England for abortion services," said Grainne Teggart, Amnesty's Northern Ireland Campaign Manager.
"We will be joined on the march today with Nocola Coughlan and Siobhan McSweeney from Derry Girls, as well as a cross-party group of MPs who, like us, want to see the Westminster government take action on this issue."
She added that action must be taken.
"Today we hand in a 62,000-strong petition calling on the Secretary of State and UK government to decriminalise abortion and ensure free, safe and legal access to services without having to travel," she said.
"We are calling on the UK government to prioritise the rights of women and bring about the change that is so desperately overdue."
