Thousands of Northern Irish people have told the Government it should not remove the Province’s strong pro-life protections for the unborn.
In July, Westminster politicians voted to impose unregulated abortion on Northern Ireland despite widespread public opposition.
If the Northern Ireland Executive at Stormont is not restored by 21 October, abortion will be decriminalised until a new law can be brought in.
No consultation
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) and a group of cross-party MPs delivered postcards from those who oppose the radical new laws to Downing Street.
“It means five months when there will, in effect, be no law regulating abortion at all in Northern Ireland”Fiona Bruce MP
But in a debate in the House of Commons on Monday, Labour MP Stella Creasy, who originally introduced the abortion amendment, said that there should be no public consultation on the issue at all.
Creasy equated killing an unborn child with having an operation.
She said: “It is really important for this House to be clear that, just as we would not ask non-medical professionals to consult on how to conduct a vasectomy, we should not do so when it comes to an abortion.”
‘Unacceptable’
Conservative MP for Congleton Fiona Bruce raised concerns in the debate about the lack of legal protections for unborn children if the law changes.
She said it is “unacceptable” that the provision of abortion “will take place in a complete legal vacuum from 22 October, with no guarantee that anything will be put in place until 31 March 2020”.
“It means five months when there will, in effect, be no law regulating abortion at all in Northern Ireland—as I say, these are abortions taking place from conception until just before a baby is capable of being born alive.
“I said that we should not rush through this legislation when it was originally debated and now we see the results.”
Public opposition
Alithea Williams, a spokeswoman for SPUC, said: “After ramming through this extreme abortion legislation against the express will of the elected representatives of Northern Ireland, Stella Creasy does not want the public to be consulted on so much as its implementation.”
“The huge crowds that gathered in Belfast over the weekend protesting this disgraceful act show that she does indeed have something to fear from consulting the people of Northern Ireland on their own abortion laws.”