A report released by a group of MPs is recommending new legislation to allow an unborn child with life limiting disabilities to be terminated in Northern Ireland.
Currently, abortions are only allowed in extreme circumstances and the plan is to allow them in cases of ‘fatal foetal abnormality’.
Co-founder of pro-life group Both Lives Matter, Dawn McAvoy, told Premier that changing abortion law is not Westminister’s decision to make: “Westminster shouldn’t interfere because abortion is a devolved issue to Northern Ireland.
“Health and justice are both devolved to our local assembly and that really is a strong part of the basis of the Good Friday Agreement from 1998. So it would be contrary to the understanding between the UK Government and Northern Ireland and that peace agreement.”
However, there is currently no government at the Northern Ireland assembly at Stormont, leading campaigners to say there must be a timetable put into action by the UK government for women to access abortion legally in the meantime.
Those in favour of making terminations more accessible say many women already travel to England alone to undertake the experience or buy abortion pills online.
The report also cites a UN Committee who said there were ‘grave’ and ‘systematic’ breaches of women’s rights in Northern’s Ireland’s abortion laws.
Both Lives Matter point out though that the…
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