Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK yet to allow legal access to abortion.

To protest this, 28 women marched across Westminister Bridge to go against the laws that disable women in Northern Ireland to get an abortion. The number 28 represents the amount of women who travel to the UK each week to undergo a termination. The protest was carried out by Amnesty International, who also delivered a petition to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley. The suitcases that the women were carrying also contained the 62,000 names of the people who signed the petition. Included in the protest was Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan. She told Sky News: "We want to be here to stand up for those women who have to make those journeys so they don't have to be here. It's unfair that they are treated like criminals." Earlier in the week, she said that she understands the issue is difficult to discuss but believes that she has a right to support those who are fighting to change legislation in the North. "I know that this is such a tricky issue to talk about but the amount of people without uteruses telling me I’m not entitled to my opinion is laughable," she wrote on Twitter. "I’ve known so many women who’ve suffered because of these Draconian laws and I have a right to stand up and support them." Coughlan also included the hashtag '#NowforNI.'

I know that this is such a tricky issue to talk about but the amount of people without uteruses telling me I’m not entitled to my opinion is laughable I’ve known so many women who’ve suffered because of these Draconian laws & I have a right to stand up and support them#NowForNI pic.twitter.com/i8Ay7GJrPL

— Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan) February 23, 2019