No sooner had Lucy Letby been imprisoned for killing seven newborns and attempting to kill several others than she was approached by Alliance for Choice to become an online-only abortion doula – the first role of its kind in Northern Ireland.

Letby is currently serving a whole-life prison sentence, but that didn’t stop the forward-thinking advocacy group from putting her to good use. “We wanted a doula with experience in reproductive healthcare across all stages of human development, not just the early stages.” Alliance for Choice said in a statement.

“By bringing this pioneering healthcare worker on board our doula project we’re sending a powerful message to the anti-choice bigots,” they continued. ”The UK government forbade her from performing post-birth abortions, but she did it anyway. She’s a rebel and a hero. Her only crime was being ahead of her time.”

“As a society, we still have a long way to go in achieving full reproductive rights for pregnant persons, especially when it comes to post-birth abortion and the stigma surrounding it,” they added. Hopefully, our work with Lucy will help fix that.”

It is understood that Letby will begin her new role immediately via video link, direct from her prison cell. However, permission to let her out to attend abortion workshops and seminars at the University of Ulster is currently being considered at the request of ex-Green Party MLA, Clare Bailey.

The appointment was praised by all of NI’s progressive political parties. When asked for comment, the Alliance Party reaffirmed their stance that they “trust women without caveats” and that “Lucy Letby is no exception”.