Northern Ireland abortion threat

Update: the Government is backing down. For the earlier threats see below and here.

From SPUC: The United Kingdom government says it has no plans to change Northern Ireland's restrictive abortion law and would expect the province's assembly to take over legislation in this area. Mr Paul Goggins MP, a UK minister responsible for Northern Ireland, declared the policy in written answers to MPs' questions. [News Letter, 18 July] Mrs Betty Gibson, chairwoman of SPUC Northern Ireland, said: "Until the power to decide abortion legislation rests with the Assembly, pro-abortion MPs who do not represent anyone in Northern Ireland will be able to impose the Abortion Act on the people here. The pro-abortion position dominates the House of Commons. Any attempt to modify the Act is likely to result in many more abortions. Some MPs have declared their intention to push for the extension of the Act to Northern Ireland when the Human Tissue and Embryos Bill is debated later this year. If the violence of the Troubles is not to be replaced by the violence of abortion, it is vital that members of the public write to Gordon Brown urging him not to allow any liberalisation of the Abortion Act." [SPUC, 19 July]

Briefing. 11/06/07

From SPUC: A cross-party coalition of MPs is to push for changes to current abortion legislation to mark the 40th anniversary of the passing of the Abortion Act in Britain. Moves to increase access to abortion include removing the need for two doctors to sign an abortion referral and the extension of the Abortion Act to Northern Ireland. Church leaders and politicians in Northern Ireland have condemned proposals by Westminster to impose
abortion on Northern Ireland and are expected to resist any change in the law. Fr Tim Bartlett, the secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Commission on Social Affairs in Northern Ireland, said: "We are opposed to these measures on two grounds. Firstly, there is the ethical opposition to abortion and our support for the right to life for the unborn child. Secondly, that the views of the democratically elected representatives of Northern Ireland be taken into account." [Observer, 10 June] Liam Gibson of SPUC Northern Ireland said: "The vast majority of people in Northern Ireland and their elected representatives are opposed to any liberalisation of their abortion laws. Despite this there is a very real threat that the pro-abortion lobby in Britain could succeed in having the Abortion Act imposed upon the Province. It is therefore vitally important that everyone, in Britain as well as in Northern Ireland, should write to their MPs and ask them to urge the government not to support any attempt to extend the Abortion Act but instead respect the position of the Northern Ireland Assembly on this issue. It would be an appalling tragedy if the violence of the Troubles was replaced by the violence of abortion."