Move to reform NI abortion laws launched by MPs at Westminster
MPS have launched a parliamentary bid to end the ban on most abortions in Northern Ireland.
Labour’s Diana Johnson and a cross-party coalition of colleagues will introduce a 10-Minute Rule Bill on October 23 which would remove the procedure from criminal law so that it is treated in the same way as all other medical procedures.
Ms Johnson, who represents Hull North, said: “Abortion law is underpinned by criminal law and I think most people today would say that’s not appropriate.
“It’s a healthcare issue, it’s about a woman deciding what is best for her and her family.
“That’s what the bill is about, taking the criminal law out, but it’s keeping in place all the regulation and professional standards in common law around abortion.”
The bill, which has been cosigned by Conservative MP Anna Soubry, would include Northern Ireland despite devolution.
Ms Johnson said: “Because we’re talking about a breach of women’s human rights in Northern Ireland, it’s a matter for Westminster Parliament.”
MPs and supporters gathered in Parliament Square to launch the bill yesterday as opinion polls commissioned by Amnesty International suggested 65% of adults in Northern Ireland agree abortion should not be a crime and 78% of British people are in favour of decriminalisation. Diana Johnson MP (left) who has launched a Private Member’s Bill to decriminalise consensual abortion in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a cross-party group of MPs and co-sponsors by the statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square
Ms Johnson said the findings showed “widespread support” for the bill from the public.
But John Deighan of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) said abortion was not something which should be treated like a medical treatment and this “extreme” bill “would put vulnerable women in danger”.
He said: “Abortion does not cure any disease, but is the deliberate ending of an innocent life.
“There is strong social controversy about abortion, particularly around allowing it on demand, at the expense of the taxpayer.
“It is thus ridiculous to suggest that the power to regulate it be taken away from elected politicians and handed to factions of the medical profession, who won’t have to answer to anyone.”
Abortion was legalised in England, Wales and Scotland in 1967 but is banned under most circumstances in Northern Ireland.
The government has resisted calls to step in to legislate for reform in Northern Ireland following a Supreme Court judgment in June that found the current legal framework is incompatible with human rights laws.
The law on abortion was devolved to Holyrood as part of the Scotland Act 2016 and there have been similar calls for decriminalising the procedure in Scotland.