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Westminster Will not Meddle with Northern Ireland Abortion Laws says Secretary of State

Pro-Lifers give the news a "cautious welcome"

By Elizabeth O'Brien

LONDON, England, July 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Northern Ireland Secretary of State Paul Goggins has claimed that Westminster has no plans to extend British abortion law to Northern Ireland and that the N. Irish assembly is the best forum to discuss the issue.

Two politicians questioned the English government's right to dictate on the sensitive issue of abortion in Northern Ireland, the Belfast Newletter reports. Democratic Unionist Party MP Jeffrey Donaldson of Lagan Valley recently asked the Secretary of State what powers Parliament has in legislating on abortion.

At present the1967 Abortion Act determines the abortion laws of England, Scotland and Wales, limiting abortion to 24 weeks gestation or until birth if the mother's life or health are in grave danger. The Act does not extend to Northern Ireland, although there has been an increased push in parliament to do so as the abortion debate has rekindled throughout the UK as a whole. Currently N. Ireland only permits abortion if two doctors find that the life or long-term health of the mother is in critical danger. Unlike the rest of the UK, fetal abnormality is not considered grounds for an abortion.

"My understanding is that it is a matter for the (N. Ireland) Assembly to determine policy on abortion in Northern Ireland and to legislate on this matter," Donaldson said in The Newsletter. He continued, "There is a convention in place in which the UK parliament does not legislate on matters that are normally dealt with by a devolved parliament or assembly unless that assembly gives its approval."

British Secretary of State Paul Goggins replied, stating, "The Government have (sic) no plans to amend the law on abortion in Northern Ireland." He continued, "We believe the best forum for discussion of these questions is the Northern Ireland Assembly, once it has assumed responsibility for the criminal law."

In his July 16 written reply, Goggins explained that the matter fell under the jurisdiction of Westminster, but that Northern Ireland could legislate on the issue with the Secretary of State's permission. He stated, "The legislation governing abortion in Northern Ireland falls within the field of criminal law and, as such, remains a reserved matter in Northern Ireland under the terms of paragraph 9(a) of Schedule 3 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998. This means that any legislation on it would fall to Parliament at Westminster to take forward, although, as with all reserved matters, under the terms of section 8(b) of the 1998 Act, the Northern Ireland Assembly may legislate on this matter with the consent of the Secretary of State."

While this answer appears reassuring, pro-life advocates have approached it warily. Betty Gibson, Chairwoman of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children in Northern Ireland, commented on the possibility of Northern Ireland legislating on abortion. She said, "It could be some time yet before this happens, and even then there is no guarantee that the government won't change its position."

She continued, "Before the Assembly was set up the then Secretary of State, Mo Mowlam, said responsibility for abortion legislation would be devolved but then changed her mind. Until the power to decide abortion legislation rests with the Assembly, pro-abortion MPs who do not represent anyone in Northern Ireland will be able to impose the Abortion Act on the people here."

"At present the pro-abortion position dominates the House of Commons. This means that any attempt to modify the Abortion Act is likely to result in many more abortions. Some MPs have already declared their intention to push for the extension of the Act to Northern Ireland when the Human Tissue and Embryos Bill is debated later this year."

She concluded, "It is vitally important that members of the public write to Gordon Brown urging him not to allow any liberalisation of the Abortion Act."

Read previous LifeSiteNews coverage:

Northern Ireland Judge Rejects Pro-Abortion Demand
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/jul/03070708.html

Belfast Appeal Court Orders Health Department to Draw up "Guidelines" for Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/oct/04101303.html

UK: Rising Number of Abortions Confirm Need to Change 1967 Law
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/aug/06080107.html

NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY REJECTS ABORTION
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/jun/00062203.html

New UK Prime Minister as Bad for Unborn and Disabled as Blair
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07071308.html

Read the 2007 abortion guidelines for the UK:
http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/guidance-termination-of-pregnancy...

Zenit report "Abortion Pressure Grows in Northern Ireland":
http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-20125

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