Northern Ireland Assembly votes
to reject Westminster abortion laws
 |
| The Northern Ireland Assembly (AFP) |
The Northern Ireland Assembly votes to reject changes to
abortion laws that were drawn up by Westminster.
By Vatican News
The motion, which was by brought by the Democratic Unionist
Party (DUP), passed by 46 votes to 40.
The vote will not change the current laws but the DUP said
it showed that the regulations are not backed by the Stormont Assembly.
Welcoming the vote, the Bishops’ Conference of England and
Wales said, “whilst this vote will not directly change the law in Northern
Ireland, it does send a strong message that this decision should be made in
Northern Ireland, not in Westminster.”
“It can’t be right that this is going to be imposed by
Westminster against the wishes of the people of Northern Ireland and their
Assembly.”
The new abortion laws drawn up by Westminster came into
effect after a vote in March of last year.
The UK Parliament is due to vote later this month on whether
to approve or reject the regulations.
In a letter to Members of the Northern Ireland
Legislative Assembly (MLA), before the vote, the Bishops of Northern Ireland
voiced their concern over the "extreme nature" of Westminster's
provisions, calling on MLA's to reject “the imposition of abortion legislation
which extends to all non-fatal disabilities, including Down's syndrome”
They also made an urgent call “to defend the equal right of
children with disabilities to appropriate protection and care both before and
after birth, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child”.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét