This case established that the abortion legislation in Northern Ireland breached Article 8 of the ECHR by failing to provide an exception to the prohibition on abortion in cases of a fatal foetal abnormality (at any time during the pregnancy) or where the pregnancy is the result of sexual crime (up to the date when the foetus is capable of existing independently of the mother).
The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 was the first statute to regulate the provision of abortion in Ireland.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) makes legal provision for a wide range of people (family members, health and social care professionals, courts) to make decisions in the best interests of a person who lacks the capacity to make a decision for themselves.
St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust v S established right of a competent pregnant woman to refuse treatment even if that refusal may result in harm to her or her unborn child,
Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority gave girls under 16 the right to consent to medical treatment without parental involvement.
The National Health Service (Family Planning) Act 1967 enabled local authorities to give family planning advice to all women regardless of marital status.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Act 1918 obliged local authorities to set up maternal and child welfare clinics.