Legalized abortion on demand may be forced on Northern Ireland today unless its political leaders act.
Northern Ireland is one of the last bastions of safety for unborn babies in Europe after abortion activists pushed Ireland to repeal its pro-life constitutional amendment in 2018. In July, however, British politicians led by Labour MP Stella Creasy voted to force Northern Ireland to legalize abortion for any reason up to 28 weeks of pregnancy.
Pro-life advocates expressed outrage after the unprecedented vote against both the rights of unborn babies and those of the Northern Ireland people to make their own laws. The country’s governing body, the Stormont Assembly, has not been in place for three years, thus allowing British lawmakers to impose their pro-abortion agenda on the sister nation.
The BBC reports the Stormont Assembly sat for the first time in almost three year on Monday in an effort to keep the country’s pro-life laws intact. However, arguments about procedures and other reformation issues hindered the vote.
Pro-life advocates urged political leaders to convene Monday to stop the pro-abortion law. Precious Life, the leading pro-life group in Northern Ireland, held a protest outside of the Stormont Parliament Buildings in Belfast to urge the government to re-form for the purpose of protecting lives.
“This abortion legislation from Westminster is a shameful and cynical betrayal of the Good Friday Agreement. The hypocrisy of the MLAs who claim they support and defend the GFA is being exposed by their silence and absence today,” said Bernadette Smyth, director of the pro-life organization.
She thanked the assembly members (MLAs) who showed up to stop the pro-abortion law and slammed those who refused.
“Every MLA who chooses not to return to Stormont today is cooperating with the evil of abortion. History will remember the MLAs who failed to return to Stormont on 21st October 2019 and allowed this ‘death of democracy’ – and even worse – allowed the deaths of Northern Ireland’s unborn babies,” Smyth said.
One party, the SDLP, walked out of parliament in a move that prevented the body from electing a speaker. Political leaders say a speaker must be chosen before lawmakers can “do any business,” according to the report.
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If they do not resolve their differences and re-form by midnight, the pro-abortion law will go into effect, the report states.
Some pro-abortion politicians slammed the re-formation efforts as a “political stunt,” according to Grazia. So far, 30 MLAs have signed a petition urging the move, but that number is not enough for the government to form and stop the law.
Catholic leaders also urged political leaders to set aside their differences for the goal of protecting human rights.
“The political impasse on this has gone on too long and has been cynically manipulated by the parliament at Westminster to remove legal protection for unborn babies in Northern Ireland up to 28 weeks in their mother’s womb,” Bishop Larry Duffy of Clogher said, according to The Impartial Reporter.
Smyth said Northern Ireland leaders should be upset by England imposing its political agenda on their country as well as the legalization of abortion.
“Even regardless of their stance on abortion – if they were truly committed to democracy and devolution, they would be in Stormont today protesting against Westminster forcing ‘direct rule’ on Northern Ireland,” Smyth said.
She promised that pro-life advocates will continue to defend unborn babies, even if the law goes into effect.
“No law or government can take away the factual reality that unborn babies are part of our human family,” Smyth said. “The battle to protect our most vulnerable citizens – our unborn babies — is far from over and will continue with even greater determination than before.”
