Politics
Wednesday July 23, 2008
See today's LifeSiteNews stories
Pro-Abortion MPs Attempting to Force Abortion on Northern Ireland through Back Door
By Hilary White
WESTMINSTER, UK, July 23, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A group of six pro-abortion activist MPs have tabled a motion in the House of Commons to try to force the legalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland, a move that is opposed by all the major political parties of the province, as well as the majority of the public.
The amendment proposed would use the Labour government's Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill to extend the British Abortion Act into Northern Ireland where abortion remains illegal. The MPs, Diane Abbott, Dr. Evan Harris, John Bercow, Jacqui Lait, John McDonnell, and Katy Clark, are known to be among the British Parliament's most zealous campaigners for abortion.
Pro-life advocates in Northern Ireland have called the move "a desperate attempt by the most extreme members of the anti-life lobby to legalise abortion on demand ahead of the devolution of criminal justice matters to the Northern Ireland Assembly." The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) is asking for local volunteers to flood the province with leaflets alerting the public to the attempt to impose legalised abortion.
Betty Gibson, SPUC Northern Ireland chairwoman commented, "This attempt to impose abortion on Northern Ireland is extremist, anti-democratic and arrogant."
She said that the effort, "flies in the face of the will of the people of Northern Ireland" who have repeatedly made it clear through their representatives and in polls that they do not want the same unlimited access to abortion in Northern Ireland that prevails in England and Wales.
The leaders of all four major political parties and the four main Churches in Northern Ireland have also demanded that the issue be decided not at Westminster, but by the elected representatives of the province's devolved Assembly.
None of the MPs tabling the motion are representatives of Northern Ireland, but all are well known for their aggressive pro-abortion campaigning. Gibson said that Dr. Evan Harris in particular, known to fellow MPs as "Dr. Death" for his work to liberalise abortion laws and introduce legal euthanasia, "is notorious for his anti-life extremism."
In 2007, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Paul Goggins promised that Westminster had no plans to extend British abortion law to Northern Ireland and that the Northern Irish Assembly is the best forum in which to discuss the issue. At the time, Mrs. Gibson reacted to the promise with scepticism, saying that "there is no guarantee that the government won't change its position."
SPUC is asking concerned people to contact their MPs and ask that the motion be voted down.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Westminster Will not Meddle with Northern Ireland Abortion Laws says Secretary of State
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07072502.html
All Four Northern Ireland Party Leaders say No to Legalizing Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08051206.html
Embryo Bill in Northern Ireland Could Bring Legal Abortion in by "Back Door"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/mar/08032708.html
To email your MP or find out your MP's name:
via http://www.spuc.org.uk/mps
Back to TopSHARE THIS STORY: E-mail Print Newsvine Digg Reddit Del.icio.us Facebook
Latest Headlines
- Pro-life, Pro-family Leaders Praise McCain's Choice of Pro-Life Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for VP Running Mate
- Obama Acceptance Speech Calls for Change, Brushes Over Abortion, Same-Sex "Marriage"
- McCain VP Pick Delivers Hard-hitting First Speech, Calling for End to "Politics as Usual"
- Brazilian Representative Seeks Answers Regarding Suspicious Vaccination Program
- Florida Schools Charged with Violating Students' Religious Freedom by Allowing Student Prayer at Graduations
- Two More Bishops and 19 Congressmen Slam Pelosi Arguments on Abortion
- New Stats: Europe Facing Demographic Winter, Growing Political, Economic Tensions
- Donor Registry Allows IVF Conceived Children to Unite with Biological "Donor" Parents and Siblings
- Montezuma’s Abortion Revenge
- Homosexual Activists Target California Businesses That Support Pro-marriage Proposition
- Going Off the Deep End in Denver: Democrats Walk the Abortion Plank
- Over 100 MPs Oppose Morgentaler Order of Canada
- National Right to Life calls GOP Platform "Strongest Ever" on Life Issues
Most Read this Week
- Biden's Bishop Will not Permit Him, Even if Elected VP, to Speak at Catholic Schools
- Exclusive: Prominent Rabbi Says Lieberman was Excommunicated and it is Still in Effect
- "Catholic" Speaker Pelosi Denies that Catholicism Condemns Abortion
- Cardinals, Bishops and Congressmen Slam Pelosi on Abortion
- Mainstream Media Admits Anti-Family Bias: NBC to 'Gay' Activists: 'Your Victories Are Our Victories'
- Talk a Woman out of Abortion in the UK? Two Years Jail
- Pelosi Spokeswoman About-face: Catholic Church "Clear" on Life Teaching After All - But Catholics Need Not Listen
- McCain Selects Strongly Pro-life Governor, Mother of Five Sarah Palin for Running Mate
- American Apparel Defends "Pornographic" Billboards
- New York Cardinal - Pelosi Not Worthy of "Providing Leadership in a Civilized Democracy"
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.