Abortion services are available in Northern Ireland and are delivered by local Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts. Medical and surgical abortion are available for pregnancies up to 23 weeks and 6 days on the day of treatment. While BPAS does not provide the clinical care, we manage the booking service on behalf of the Trusts. When you submit an online consultation request, you consent to BPAS sharing the necessary information with your local Trust so they can arrange your care.
After submitting your request, your Trust provider will usually contact you within five working days (Monday to Friday), often sooner, to arrange consultation and triage. Calls may come from a withheld number, and the Trust will attempt to contact you several times if needed. If you have not heard within five working days, please contact the BPAS booking centre on 03457 30 40 30. All patients are referred to their local Trust in the first instance. Please note that HSC Trust staff will access your electronic care record (NIECR) as part of this process, but they will not add any information to it. BPAS currently accepts bookings on behalf of the below Trusts:
Northern Trust
Belfast Trust
South Eastern Trust
Southern Trust
Western Trust
To qualify for free abortion care you must:
reside in Northern Ireland (with a BT postcode), and
be registered with a Northern Ireland GP (with a BT postcode)
Useful links:
- NI Direct Abortion Services – Latest NI abortion guidance
- Nexus NI - Northern Ireland's 24 hour Domestic and Sexual Abuse helpline for male and female victims survivors, worried friends, family and professionals
- Common Youth – Provides free, confidential sexual health and wellbeing services to 24's and under in Northern Ireland
- Informing Choices NI – Northern Ireland sexual and reproductive health charity
- Belfast Health And Social Care Trust– Abortion service information for Belfast Trust
- Northern Health and Social Care Trust - Abortion service information for Belfast Trust
- Southern Health and Social Care Trust- Abortion service information for Southern Trust
- South East Health and Social Care Trust - Abortion service information for South Eastern Trust
- Western Health and Social Care Trust – Abortion service information for Western Trust
NHS funded and commissioned abortion services are available across Northern Ireland and can be booked online or via phone. The type of service available will depend on your gestation (how many weeks pregnant you are).
To access NHS abortion services at any gestation in Northern Ireland you will need to attend an abortion service in person. This is because the Abortion Regulations, which govern how healthcare professionals can provide abortion services within Northern Ireland, do not allow BPAS or your local health trust to provide abortion pills in the post.
BPAS is aware that some women in Northern Ireland consider obtaining Early Medical Abortion (EMA) medication outside formal healthcare services. The World Health Organization has said that EMA medication taken in the first trimester is safe, even when taken outside a clinical setting. Similarly, these pills are currently provided in the post in the rest of the UK.
There are, however, risks associated with buying EMA medication online from unreliable sources - they may not arrive, or may not be a genuine product. Both Women on Web and Women Help Women provide genuine EMA medication, advice, and support to women around the world, including in Northern Ireland.