Nicola Coughlan, who plays Clare Devlin in the award-winning Derry Girls, has hit out at the abortion laws in the North at a protest in London yesterday.
Twenty-eight women marched in London to highlight the 28 women who travel from Northern Ireland to Britain every week to have an abortion.
The protesters delivered a petition signed by 62,000 people demanding a change to the strict abortion laws in the North.
The North of Ireland is one of the only places in Western Europe where abortion is criminalised.
Speaking to Sky News, Coughlan said that it is unfair that women in the region are ‘treated like criminals’.
“People are treating it like it’s not their problem, but it’s somebody’s problem.
“People in down south now in Ireland – we have access to this healthcare.
“People in the rest of the UK, have access to the healthcare.
“It’s ridiculous that people in Northern Ireland are treated like criminals in their own country for trying to access this,” she said.
Most parties in the North take a conscience position on abortion except the ultra-conservative DUP, whose MLAs are whipped on the issue.
All DUP MLAs have always voted against abortion reform in the past.
