(CNN) -- The European Court of Human Rights condemned Ireland's laws on abortion Thursday, ruling the country violated the human rights of a woman forced to go abroad to end her pregnancy.
It did not, however, order a change to Irish law, which prohibits abortion in all cases except where a pregnancy threatens the life of the mother.
The woman, a Lithuanian national who was not named, was in remission from a rare form of cancer and unaware she was pregnant when she had a series of check-ups not advised during pregnancy, the court said.
She felt the pregnancy would cause a relapse of her cancer and was also concerned about the health of the fetus if she continued to term. She claimed she could not obtain clear advice about her options, so she decided in 2005 to have an abortion in England.
Women in Ireland are permitted to travel abroad for abortions and obtain information about their options for doing so.
The court ruled that, by failing to allow the woman to have a lawful abortion in Ireland, the country violated her right to respect for her physical and psychological integrity, which falls under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
At the same time, the court ruled Article 8 cannot be interpreted as conferring a right to abortion, which may come as a relief to defenders of the Irish ban. It had been thought a more serious ruling by the court could have challenged the country's laws on abortion.
The court ordered Ireland to pay the woman 15,000 euros ($19,800) in damages. CNN
