The jubilation at the result of the referendum on abortion in Ireland quickly gave way to rage as focus turned to Northern Ireland, where women are treated as second-class citizens when it comes to their reproductive rights.

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Abortion is only legal in that part of the UK if the mother’s life is at immediate risk – as the law stands, a victim of rape who sought to end an unwanted pregnancy would risk a longer prison sentence than her attacker. Women whose babies will not live outside the womb are forced to carry them to term.

A mother in Belfast faces a criminal conviction for procuring abortion medication for her 15-year-old daughter, who was seeking to terminate a pregnancy arising from an allegedly abusive relationship.

In 2016, a woman who couldn’t afford to travel to England was given a three-month suspended prison sentence for ending her pregnancy using pills bought online when she was 19.

Stopping the provision of abortion doesn’t stop abortions happening – it simply forces women either into unsafe procedures or a lonely journey overseas for healthcare. A year ago we persuaded the government to allow Northern Irish women to get terminations on the NHS if they came to England – since then over 700 have made this trip.

With many unable to travel due to family commitments, others unable to explain absences to controlling partners or prying eyes in their community, and many without the money to travel, Northern Irish women rightly are now asking for help to secure equality of treatment with their fellow UK citizens.

They know the lack of an assembly in Northern Ireland does not absolve the UK parliament of its sovereignty or duty to act on human rights issues. While Theresa May’s coalition is seen as a roadblock to change at Westminster, there is an alternative coalition (of the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign, Nupas, Amnesty International NI, Family Planning Association Northern Ireland, the Humanist Association, Together for Choice, Alliance for Choice, BPAS and Marie Stopes) calling for the UK parliament to make sure that in the push for equality the women of Northern Ireland are not left behind.

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Crucially, this call for change is in tune with the majority of people of Northern Ireland. Public polls have shown this to be consistent across all ages, genders and regions, and both Catholic and Protestant communities. It cuts across political party support too: despite their party leadership’s opposition to any change, 72% of DUP voters support access to abortion in cases of rape or incest.

How women in Northern Ireland are treated also calls into question abortion in the rest of the UK – it is still based on law that is over 150 years old, and in England and Wales requires two doctors to agree that “continuing the pregnancy would involve greater risk than termination to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or any of her existing children” – and only before the 24th week of gestation.

One in three women will have an abortion by the age of 45, but many could still face a criminal conviction for how they choose to do this. With thousands of women now purchasing the abortion pill misoprostol online, it is time not just to look at why we deny Northern Irish women safe and legal healthcare at home, but also how we make sure our abortion laws fit with the 21st century across every nation.

The forthcoming domestic violence bill is due to consider the Victorian Offences Against the Person Act, which criminalises women in this way. Repealing it would lay the foundation for a modern medical approach to abortion across the UK, including in Northern Ireland, which could put women’s safety at the heart of future legislation.

Devolution cannot be used as cover to deny women their fundamental healthcare needs – at present the only Northern Irish woman making choices about abortion is the DUP leader, Arlene Foster. Her party continues to refuse to entertain any reform and is using its position propping up Theresa May’s administration to prevent change. For the sake of the million women affected, it’s time we gave a voice to the rest of Northern Irish society.

• Stella Creasy is the Labour MP for Walthamstow