Three Families

I'm pregnant.

She knew I was underage, she knew he abused me.

She knew everything! And then she asked me about the pills.

Could we have a word about your daughter down at the station?

And we've decided that, yes, we'll have the termination.

Well, you know that's not going to happen. You will go on through

to the end of a normal pregnancy

and give birth to your baby in the normal way.

Nothing about this is normal!

Nothing about this is right.

Your beautiful baby loves you. Not so close, please.

How long will I get? The maximum sentence is five years.

The government's considering changing the law

on fatal foetal abnormality.

A woman's right to choose, end of. No, we have to go for this.

There's women out there right now being forced to give birth

to dead babies.

If it helps just one other person, it'll be worth it.

I duly direct that the case be sent up to the Crown Court to be tried

before a jury.

Your statement reads really well, Hannah.

I think Judge Horner will take it very seriously.

And, yes, we can keep your name out of it.

"I would respectfully ask that this court make an order

"that my identity should not be revealed to any person."

That's the legal form of words.

Oh, yes, please, put that.

That would be a huge relief.

There's just one thing -

you were told you'd missed the deadline

for a termination.

Because I was 23 weeks and six days, yeah.

Over the water, in England, with fatal foetal abnormality...

..there is no deadline.

I didn't know. I...I just accepted it. I...

I didn't ask questions...

I put the phone down!

Why will nobody ever give you any proper information

in this country? Government guidelines.

Vague ones. Strict but vague.

So strict and so vague that our medics or nurses...

..they've got too scared to tell you anything about what's legal

and available. Worried about their jobs.

Worried they could get prosecuted.

It's all wrong.

I was...I was thinking that human rights case might help us out.

I mean, I know...I know it's a wee bit different, but...

OK. Thanks, Rachel. Bye. Bye.

So a trial is listed to start on the 27th of April...

..for three weeks.

April? Next year?

This is a trial that was supposed to happen before Christmas.

The trial your marvellous lawyer said would never happen at all.

Quick, quick, quick, quick!

On you go!

Are we doing the right thing,

not telling the family about the trial?

I'm the mother.

I ordered the pills, it is my responsibility -

I will deal with it as privately as I can, Mark, OK?

Nobody needs to know.

One day at a time.

I got it.

PROTESTERS CHANT

Angry protests outside the High Court in Belfast today

against a landmark legal ruling.

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission argued

that the almost total ban on abortion law here

denies women their fundamental rights.

And today, the High Court has ruled in favour

of the pro-choice campaigners.

So that's it? We won? Did we? Yes, the law is wrong, but, no.

Judge Horner says the courts can't go ahead and permit abortions

in cases of fatal foetal abnormality,

only an elected government can do that.

The government? Stormont?

They're the problem in the first place!

Don't tell us - tell the world.

It's a big step, Hannah.

Look, I can't talk.

I know, so just listen.

This human rights judgment could be a real game changer

for us, Theresa. It's potentially very good news.

I'm going to use it to ask the Public Prosecution Service

and the police to drop their case against you.

I want everyone to know how unjust the law is here in Northern Ireland.

And I want the government to understand

that no-one should ever have to endure what I did.

I just can't sit back and do nothing knowing there are other women

and families going through the same thing.

And no-one should ever be forced to continue with a pregnancy

if they don't want to.

And so the courts have sent this most divisive of issues

back to politicians at Stormont.

You're not the girl I married.

In a good way?

A star is born!

Here, we'll have a glass of wine to celebrate.

No, but you can make me a cup of tea.

A big one - tea for two.

A baby?

I'm so scared.

Me too.

Scared...

..and happy.

Which?

Choose.

Happy.

Look, we know it was just a random thing,

what happened with Molly.

We got the all clear.

We know neither of us is a carrier.

But what if?

Nothing will go wrong this time.

It'll be the end of me if it does.

Went fine. Fine, fine - God, what does fine mean?

It means, for an old girl, I'm doing well.

SHE GIGGLES

Oh, and the baby takes after me. As in? Long legs.

BOTH LAUGH

Are you calling me a short-arse?

Well, would you just rub those wee legs together

and get home?

Your wish is my command. Look up, look up.

HE LAUGHS

Oh, go! Go get him! Go!

Bringing you back to Northern Ireland -

best thing I ever did.

Thanks.

Never thought this would happen for me.

40's not old, not these days.

They mentioned this quadruple blood test.

They offer that to anyone over 35.

Well, now I feel really ancient!

It's completely routine.

The headlines, again, all change at the top

as Arlene Foster takes charge of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

She's the first woman First Minister in history.

Next news at 2pm.

I don't know,

might be nice to have a woman in charge for a change.

I have no time for it - all as bad as each other.

She's a mother herself, so she's on the side of the angels

when it comes to the big stuff.

She proves you don't have to be a Catholic to see that it's murder,

pure and simple.

Yeah, you know, those wee girls, you know,

what if they've been raped, for instance,

or were underage?

Two wrongs don't make a right. Or is it the wee child's fault

how it got here?

And if he's disabled, so what? He's still human.

He has rights.

Sorry, am I banging on?

Do you know what I think?

Orla. No, but I have an idea you're about to tell me.

I think abortion is a woman's right to choose. God in heaven!

I've had enough.

She's young.

She doesn't mean it, I'm sorry. Orla.

Orla!

When did I ever bring you up to be so rude?

She is a bigot and I can't stand listening to her.

Louise is on her own.

It is tough for her.

And, you know, if...if you really believed that abortion was murder,

you would fight to the death to stop it, too.

Do you think what we did was murder?

Honestly? I don't know.

But I know I would...I would do it all again if I had to.

You'll catch your death with that wet hair.

PHONE RINGS

Hello? Mrs Fortress?

That's me. It's Sheena, the midwife from the hospital,

about the quadruple test you did.

Yes?

I get it, I do, but the test said one in five,

a one-in-five chance of this syndrome.

But that's not high, is it?

That means I'm 80% fine.

My baby is 80% fine.

Your scan shows clenched fists.

Can you see?

No.

There are cysts on her brain.

She has a diaphragmatic hernia, her stomach is sitting

in her rib cage on top of her lungs and her heart.

It's on the wrong side of her body.

Dr Brewster, I've found children surviving to the age of 18.

Those children have what's called partial or mosaic Edwards'.

Well, well, then we'll look it up again.

We'll get a second opinion.

Mrs Fortress, your baby has full Edwards' syndrome -

every cell in her body is wrong.

I am so very sorry, but the syndrome is incompatible with life.

And we need to talk about what to do if she survives her birth.

She will be in a lot of pain,

so whether to attempt resuscitation...

..or just make her comfortable.

You can go to the mainland.