The Northern Ireland Assembly has defeated a Sinn Féin motion to legalise same sex marriage.

It is the second time the issue has been defeated in the Assembly. In October, another motion to permit same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland was defeated by a narrower margin.

The motion was defeated by 53 votes to 42. Last October, a similar motion was defeated by 50 votes to 45. 

The Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church and the Church of Ireland all urged politicians to vote against the measure.

David Quinn of The Iona Institute also addressed a number of Assembly members on the issue last week at the invitation of the Catholic bishops in the North.

No Sinn Féin or SDLP MLAs voted against the measure. The SDLP officially supports same-sex marriage. However, SDLP MLAs were permitted to abstain and one more did so this time than last time.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) had already lodged a petition of concern against the motion, which meant that the measure would have had to garner at least 40pc of each of the nationalist and unionist designations present and voting.

Finance Minister Sammy Wilson, of the DUP, defended his party\\\’s use of the petition of concern saying it was important to stop what he described as reckless legislation, the BBC reports.

He said the motion would not promote safeguards or equality and he did not believe a balance of opinions had been accurately reflected during the debate.

He said that same-sex marriage was not about equality, but about the redefinition of marriage.

Mr Wilson said that, if same-sex marriage was legalised, the religious freedom of those who disagreed with the redefinition of marriage would be violated.

An Alliance Party amendment was also defeated.

It would have emphasised the freedom of churches to practise and define marriage as they choose.

After the amendment was rejected, the Alliance leader David Ford and two of his party colleagues abstained on the main motion.