Information Note on the Court’s case-law 226

February 2019

A and B v. the United Kingdom (communicated case) - 80046/17

Article 14

Discrimination

Failure to provide abortion free of charge: communicated

In Northern Ireland abortion is only lawful in very narrow circumstances and many pregnant women ordinarily resident there travel to England in order to access abortion services. Prior to June 2017 w omen who did so were not entitled to obtain an abortion free of charge under the National Health Service (as women ordinarily resident in England were entitled to do) and instead had to attend private, fee-paying clinics. The applicants – a mother and daug hter – argue that the failure to provide for the first applicant, a United Kingdom citizen resident in Northern Ireland, to have an abortion in England free of charge under the National Health Service breached their rights under Article 14 of the Conventio n read together with Article 8.

Communicated under Article 14 read together with Article 8 of the Convention.

© Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.

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