Thank you to constituents who have been in contact
with me about the amendment that was passed to the Northern Ireland (Executive
Formation etc) Bill requiring the Government to introduce a new abortion
framework for Northern Ireland that would have to be implemented by 31st March
2020.
As someone whose pro-life views on abortion are
known to many, I continue to have my concerns about the imposition of
Westminster’s unpopular and unwarranted will on the people of Northern Ireland
regarding abortion liberalisation.
The legislative process in Northern Ireland has
been devolved since the creation of the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998 as a
result of the Good Friday Agreement. Abortion laws in Northern Ireland is a
domestic policy issue that primarily affects the people of Northern Ireland.
Recent polling shows that two-thirds of women in
Northern Ireland (and 70% of 18-34 year olds) believe that the law on this
issue should be a decision for the people of Northern Ireland and their elected
representatives, and is not for Westminster to decide.
It is also worth noting that the Northern Ireland
Assembly has considered the issue of abortion more recently than any other
parliament in the United Kingdom. In 2016, a cross-community vote in the
Northern Ireland Assembly upheld the law on abortion as it currently stands.
The amendment to the NI Bill sets a risky
precedence in our devolved relationship with the Northern Ireland executive,
especially at a time when we have finally found a way forward to restore the
Executive in Belfast.
As your representative in Parliament I continue to
work closely with charities and organisations like Right to Life, SPUC (the
Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) and others to campaign to lower
to gestational time limit for abortion in the UK, prohibit the practice of
sex-selective abortion, and ensure that we have an adequate system of support
women and their unborn children.
I have already spoken to Government ministers about
this issue and raised my concerns, and constituents can have my assurance that
I will continue to make my views known via all channels on this issue.
