BELFAST 16 March 2021: The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), the United Kingdom’s largest pro-life grassroots campaigning organisation, is warning that pressure from London for the wide-scale commissioning of abortion facilities in Northern Ireland means the Province is standing on the brink of a human rights catastrophe which will eclipse the worst horrors of the Troubles. It is calling on people to lobby their representatives to stand up to Westminster.
The warning comes a day after the Northern Ireland Assembly voted in support of the Second Reading of the Severe Fetal Impairment Abortion (Amendment) Bill by 48 to 12. The Bill, sponsored by Paul Givan MLA seeks to amend the Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 to remove non-life-limiting disability as grounds for an abortion.
Liam Gibson, SPUC’s Northern Ireland Political Officer, said: “Sadly, even if this Bill becomes law, it is unlikely to save the life of a single child. The Northern Ireland abortion regulations are among the most extreme in Europe. Disabled babies will have no meaningful legal protection as long as this legislation remains in place. Babies can be killed virtually on demand up to 24 weeks and there is no gestational limit if two medical practitioners claim that ‘the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman which is greater than if the pregnancy were terminated’. Similar wording in the British Abortion Act has been used by doctors to approve abortion on demand.
“This is unjust and illegitimate legislation which Parliament imposed in violation of the devolution settlement. So far it has not been fully implemented but abortion advocates in Sinn Féin, Alliance and the Green Party are now lobbying the Northern Ireland Office to override the local political process and ensure unlimited late-term abortion is available across the Province."
Mr Gibson said: “Instead of pursuing purely cosmetic amendments to an unjust law, pro-life politicians should be pushing back against the threat that London is going to disregard devolution once again to ensure that as many of our children as possible are aborted. The commissioning of wide-scale abortion facilities within each health trust will bring about lethal violence on a scale not seen even in the worst days of the Troubles.
“No power on Earth has the authority to deny the right to life of innocent children. We are calling on the people of Northern Ireland to lobby members of the Assembly to stand firm in spite of threats. We must not allow the London government to force us to implement one of the most bloodthirsty and diabolical abortion laws in Europe”, said Mr Gibson.
For further information, contact:
Liam Gibson: tel: 07984 990 688; liamgibson@spuc.org.uk
or
Michael Robinson: tel: 07534 544 867; michael@spucscotland.org