Stop radical abortion change being imposed on the Northern Irish people

Stop radical abortion change being imposed on the Northern Irish people

Started
26 September 2019
Petition to
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and 1 other
Signatures: 51,115Next Goal: 75,000
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Why this petition matters

Baroness O’Loan started this petition to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the parties of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

In July Westminster MPs voted to remove the main laws governing abortion and impose a new abortion regime unless the Northern Ireland Assembly is restored by 21st October 2019.

Abortion is a devolved issue and no Peer living in Northern Ireland, voted in favour of the changes. However, the new legislation was voted through the Commons after just 17 minutes of debate and in the face of the overwhelming opposition from NI MPs.

There is no evidence that these changes reflect the will of the people affected by them as they were not consulted. They go far beyond the ‘hard cases’ some have been talking about.

The legislation:

  • Removes from law all explicit protection for the unborn child up to 28 weeks of pregnancy
  • Offers no specific protection for unborn babies with disability
  • Does not prohibit abortion based on the sex of the baby
  • Creates a potential vacuum of up to five months in Northern Ireland for unregulated abortion to exist with all the attendant health risks to women
  • Offers no guaranteed protection to medical staff from being forced to act in support of abortion
  • Removes the current effective protection against coercive abortion, including the practice of secretly slipping abortion pills into drinks

We, the undersigned, do not support the extensive changes imposed by Westminster.

We call on the Secretary of State to recall the Assembly before October 21 to provide an opportunity for the parties to seek to restore the Executive and prevent these new laws coming into effect.

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Signatures: 51,115Next Goal: 75,000
Support now
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Decision-Makers

  • Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
  • Parties of the Northern Ireland Assembly