The progress of a Bill in Northern Ireland to remove non-fatal disability as a ground for abortion has been welcomed by pro-life groups.

On Monday evening, the Stormont Assembly voted 48 to 12 to advance the legislation to the committee stage.

Eilís Mulroy of the Pro Life Campaign said it is unjust and discriminatory that babies with a disability could be singled out for abortion.

“It sends a strong human rights message that it’s not acceptable to single out an entire category of people and seek to justify ending their lives”.

She added: “It’s a vitally important human rights measure and hopefully one that can be built on. It’s the first successful challenge to abortion legislation on the island of Ireland, so it’s a cause for hope.”

Separately, a spokesperson for the Iona Institute NI, Ms Tracey Harkin, said the campaign has been a wake-up call about the radical nature of the abortion legislation.

“It’s good that it received majority support because it’s not the type of culture the people want in Northern Ireland.

Ms Harkin is hopeful that the move will be the first step on the road to removing the abortion law in its entirety.

“We would like obviously to extend protection to as many people as possible,” she said. “We think it’s important to support any row-back on abortion legislation, but you have to bring people along with you and make our politicians realise how important this issue is.”