A telemedicine abortion option is set to be introduced in Northern Ireland when services are fully rolled out, the British Secretary of State has indicated.
Brandon Lewis said provision for a telemedicine service was not currently in the region's abortion regulations but he was minded to add it.
The treatment option allows women to take a medical abortion pill following a virtual consultation with a clinical professional.
"I'm aware that the current regulations do not directly allow for telemedicine, but I am going to assess this issue and I am minded to take action to support women in Northern Ireland having the same access as women across the United Kingdom," Mr Lewis said.
Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary was appearing before a Westminster committee to debate a recent law change that empowered him to directly commission abortion services in the region.
He has not yet taken that step, but the Conservative MP told members of the delegated legislative committee today that he expected to use the powers "relatively soon".
Mr Lewis had given Stormont Health Minister Robin Swann a number of weeks to indicate whether he was willing to commission the services himself.
He said he did not expect Mr Swann to take the action so he was preparing to intervene on the issue.
But he would not be drawn when asked by Alliance MP Stephen Farry to commit to an exact date.
Abortion legislation in Northern Ireland was liberalised in 2019 following laws passed by Westminster at a time when the powersharing government at Stormont had collapsed.
But while individual health trusts in Northern Ireland currently offer services on an ad-hoc basis, the UK Department of Health has yet to centrally commission the services due to a political impasse in Stormont on the issue.
The DUP, which is opposed to abortion, had refused to agree to the issue being tabled on the agenda of the ministerial executive.
After the regulations were laid last month, Mr Swann said he would seek legal advice on the issue.
Several DUP MPs spoke in opposition against the British government's move during today's Westminster committee debate.
DUP MP Carla Lockhart said Mr Lewis should not be intervening on a devolved issue. "It is clear that these regulations fly in the face of democratic accountability," she said.
The committee voted to retrospectively approve the regulations by 11 votes to two.
