Radical abortion regime will begin in North next week

27th March 2020

One of the most radical abortion regimes in the world is set to go into operation in Northern Ireland from next Tuesday. It will be even more permissive than the one operating in the rest of the UK.
Cllr Anne McCloskey, Deputy Leader of Aontú, said “in these day of fear and uncertainty, when so much effort and resources are being rallied in the effort to preserve human life, when a tiny virus makes us realise how ephemeral is our connection with this earth, it is especially ironic that it is at this point in time that we are planning how to end the lives of individual living human beings.”

Abortion services will be available without restriction until the 12th week of pregnancy, a provision that does not exist in the rest of the UK, until 24 weeks if there is a risk to the woman’s ‘physical or mental health’, and up to birth if the unborn child is suffering a severe foetal impairment such as Down Syndrome, or if the child is thought likely to die, or if there is a risk of death or grave permanent injury to the mother. In addition, abortion will be decriminalised. In other parts of the UK, it is still a criminal offence in certain circumstances.

The Minister of State to the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), Robin Walker MP, said that of the submissions received in a consultation process 79 per cent expressed “a view registering their general opposition to any abortion provision in Northern Ireland beyond that which is currently permitted”.

The North’s first minister, Arlene Foster, said it was a “very sad day for Northern Ireland”.

“I fundamentally reject that Westminster has brought these forward today,” she said. “We have a devolved administration, it should have been a devolved administration that dealt with these issues . . . we will be looking at how we can deal with these issues going forward in the future.”