The high court in London has ruled that women from Northern Ireland are not entitled to free abortions on the NHS in England.

Two women sought to win the right for terminations on the NHS. More than 1,000 women from the province cross the Irish Sea every year for terminations in abortion clinics in other parts of the UK.

Abortion is extremely restricted in Northern Ireland, available only in private clinics. Terminations are allowed in hospitals only to save a woman's life or if there is a risk of permanent and serious damage to her mental or physical health. The region is the only part of the UK where the 1967 Abortion Act does not apply.

Pro-choice campaign groups in Northern Ireland expressed their dismay over the court decision. Dawn Purvis, director of Marie Stopes Northern Ireland, said: "We are hugely disappointed that the women of Northern Ireland, who are citizens of the UK, remain unable to access the same services from the NHS as their mainland counterparts.

"The added layer of stress involved in finding the money to travel and pay for treatment can be crippling, making an already difficult situation for a woman that much tougher. We will continue to support women in Northern Ireland concerned about an unplanned pregnancy through our Belfast clinic, our UK clinic network, and through discounting fees for anyone having to travel to the mainland."

There is widespread cross-party opposition inside the Stormont assembly to bringing abortion laws into line with the rest of the UK. David Ford, Northern Ireland's justice minister, has promised a report on the possibility of changing abortion laws in the region to allow women carrying babies with fatal foetal abnormalities to have a termination. Other grounds, such as abortion in rape or incest cases, are also expected to be covered.

The Department of Health in Belfast revealed last year that there were 51 terminations carried out in local hospitals to save a woman's life or to prevent her from suffering permanent and serious damage to her mental or physical health.