A DERRY pro-choice group will be in Belfast this week as part of an information workshop.

The workshop, which is a free event will be held in the Black Box on Saturday, and is in collaboration with the Ulster University Pro-Choice Society and Queen’s University Belfast Project Choice.

Tara McAllister from Alliance for Choice Derry said every health trust in the North of Ireland now offer Early Medical Abortions (EMA) up to a period of nine weeks and six days, but many of these services were not well signposted.

Tara said: "The signposting for these services is not to the standard that we require from our healthcare services. As activists we find ourselves doing the job of the healthcare service; signposting, educating and helping those in need."

Tara added: “This workshop will educate the public on stigma, self-managing abortion and what people’s lived experiences of early medical abortion have taught us. We believe that women deserve autonomy over medical decisions that affect their bodies and their lives. 

"Demystifying abortion empowers women and anyone who can get pregnant to better make the decision that is best for them. We believe disseminating and utilising this knowledge is an act of community care. 

"We believe in empowering people to help each other in their time of need, in the comfort of their own home, armed with the knowledge of what they may experience, how to ease any pains and when to seek medical help. 

"As abortion access finally arrives in Northern Ireland, abortion stigma becomes a larger barrier to abortion access. Pregnant women and people fear the backlash and judgment from those who are anti-choice. They may encounter stigma from their partner, friends or be directly harassed with graphic imagery on the steps of healthcare facilities. They feel looked down on for considering and accessing abortion, no matter the circumstances that have led to them accessing abortion healthcare.”

Tara continued: “The workshop educates attendees with scientific fact and empathy, arming them with the knowledge needed to have open, honest and loving conversations about abortion with others who are hesitant in our community."