Regulations governing the provision of abortion in Northern Ireland which were published by the British government this week and come into effect next week have been strongly criticised by church leaders and pro-life groups.
On Wednesday, the Conservative Government unveiled the New Regulatory Framework for Northern Ireland which will permit selective abortion for any disability including Down’s syndrome, cleft lip and club foot, right up to birth.
It will also allow de facto abortion on demand up to 24 weeks as well as abortion on demand for any reason, including sex-selective abortion, up to 12 weeks.
“I am sure many will be struck by the contradiction, that at a time we are all taking such drastic measures to preserve life, legislation is introduced to take it,” said the moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Right Rev William Henry.
He called on local politicians to consider how the legislation might now be amended by the Assembly at Stormont.
Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland by MPs in Westminster last October. Last July, MPs at Westminster passed legislation requiring the British government to liberalise abortion and introduce same sex marriage to Northern Ireland if devolution was not restored in Northern Ireland by 21 October.
Stormont collapsed in January 2017 and was finally recalled in January this year. However, by that stage abortion had been decriminalised in Northern Ireland by MPs at Westminster.
Describing the new legislation as a moment of great sadness and profound regret, Dr Henry said it did not reflect the position of many in the community – people of all faiths and none.
“The Government said that it wanted to deliver the new abortion framework in a way that works best for Northern Ireland. In fact, the Government’s own figures show that out of approximately 21,000 responses nearly 8 out of 10 were against these proposals,” he said.
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) created the framework following a public consultation last year which received more than 21,000 responses from groups including healthcare professionals, church leaders, abortion service providers, trade unions, civil society organisations, and individuals with lived experience.
According to the NIO, 79 per cent of respondents “expressed a view registering their general opposition to any abortion provision in Northern Ireland beyond that which is currently permitted”.
Last week, the catholic bishops of Northern Ireland wrote to the Secretary of State, Brandon Lewis, expressing concern about the proposed New Legal Framework for Abortion Services and described the proposed legislation as “draconian”.
In their letter, the bishops reiterated their view that abortion is a devolved matter. “The Westminster Government removed protections to the life of the unborn child with chilling alacrity. The imposition of such draconian and unjust legislation ensures that the issue will never cease to be contentious,” they warned.
Responding to the publication of the NIO’s new legal framework for abortion services, Right To Life UK called on members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) to introduce legislation as soon as possible to repeal the abortion regime.
They also want the Northern Ireland Department of Health to confirm it will prioritise dealing with the Coronavirus crisis and not divert any time and resources, critical to saving lives during this crisis, to introducing abortion across Northern Ireland.
Spokesperson for Right to Life UK, Catherine Robinson said, “Despite the fact that Stormont has returned and the UK is in the middle of the Coronavirus crisis, the UK Government are proceeding with imposing an extreme abortion regime on Northern Ireland on 31st March 2020.”
She said that what was being imposed on Northern Ireland was “far worse” than what had been envisaged by parliament.
“It will also open up abortion provision to midwives and nurses. This goes much further than the law In England and Wales, where abortions can only be performed by a doctor and the Abortion Act requires the approval of two doctors before an abortion can be performed,” Catherine Robinson warned.
Abortions will also be available at GPs surgeries throughout Northern Ireland, which is different to the law in England and Wales, where abortions are restricted to hospitals or places approved by the Secretary of State.
Right To Life UK are calling on the public to visit their online campaign page and email MLAs urging them to bring forward legislation to Stormont as soon as possible to repeal the new law, which the group said had been “imposed” on Northern Ireland.
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