"A majority of the court dismisses the appeal. A majority (Lord Mance, Lord Reed, Lady Black and Lord Lloyd-Jones) concludes that NIHRC does not have the standing to bring these proceedings. As such, the court does not have jurisdiction to make a declaration of incompatibility in this case," the court said.
Meanwhile, four out of seven judges considering the appeal ruled that the Northern Ireland abortion legislation, which allowed the pregnancy's interruption only in cases where the mother's life was at risk, was incompatible with human rights legislation.
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Since 2013, abortions have been allowed in the Republic only in cases of life-threatening conditions. Illegal abortions could be punished with up to 14 years in prison.