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Northern Ireland church leaders come together to oppose radical abortion regime

Church leaders from across the community in Northern Ireland have expressed “grave concern” at the prospect of “almost unregulated” abortion being imposed upon the province.

The heads of the Presbyterian, Anglican, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches, along with the President of the Irish Council of Churches have come together to call on their congregations to lobby politicians to oppose any law change, for “the sake of those who have no voice in this debate”.

In July, in the absence of a functioning Stormont government, Westminster voted to impose abortion on demand, for any reason, up to 28-weeks on Northern Ireland if Stormont’s Executive is not restored by 21 October.

The leaders are concerned that by permitting unregulated abortion, there will be no protections for unborn babies with a disability and no prohibition on sex-selective abortion.

In a joint statement, they said: “There is no evidence that these changes reflect the will of the people affected by them, as they were not consulted.”

They also called on the Northern Ireland Secretary to recall the Stormont Assembly, before the 21 October deadline, so that the Province’s elected representatives can take steps to prevent the extreme abortion laws coming into effect.

Meanwhile, the UK Government has confirmed that plans on launching a nationwide abortion marketing campaign across Northern Ireland in early November.

Recent polling from ComRes shows that 66% of women and 70% of 18-34-year-olds in Northern Ireland rejected abortion law imposed on Northern Ireland from Westminster. The strongest support among age groups surveyed came from 18-34-year-olds, with 70% agreeing that they did not want abortion law imposed on Northern Ireland.

Spokesperson for Right To Life UK Catherine Robinson said:

“Polling, public demonstrations and more recently letters from church leaders and healthcare professionals show how little public support there is for this new and extreme abortion law.”

“We call on elected representatives to listen to the people of Northern Ireland and to re-establish Stormont so that democratic process can be restored and this extreme abortion regime will be halted.”

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Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight the next phase of our battles against major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.

Dear reader,

We are facing two major threats in the Lords - an extreme assisted suicide Bill and an abortion up to birth amendment.

THE GOOD NEWS - OUR STRATEGY IS WORKING

At Second Reading of the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill in the House of Lords, a record number of Peers spoke, and of those who took a position, around two-thirds opposed the assisted suicide Bill. That is more than double the number who supported it.

Our side also secured a significant win, with the establishment of a dedicated Lords Select Committee to further scrutinise the Bill’s proposals – and Committee Stage has been delayed until it reports.

This momentum has been built by tens of thousands of people like you. Thanks to your hard work, Peers are receiving a very large number of emails and letters by post, making the case against the Bill. 

Thanks to your support, we have been able to mount a major campaign in Parliament, in the media and online – alongside your own efforts – to keep us on course for our goal: that this dangerous Bill never becomes law.

BUT MORE CHALLENGES LIE AHEAD

We cannot become complacent. Well-funded groups - Dignity in Dying, My Death My Decision and Humanists UK - have poured millions into pushing assisted suicide. They can see support is slipping and will fight hard to reverse that.

This is not the only fight we are facing in the House of Lords.

At the same time, the Antoniazzi abortion up to birth amendment, which passed in the House of Commons in June, is moving through the House of Lords as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.

Second Reading will take place in a matter of weeks. It will then go on to Committee and Report Stages, where we will be up against the UK’s largest abortion providers – BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes) – who are expected to lobby for even more extreme changes to our abortion laws.

If the Antoniazzi amendment becomes law, it would no longer be illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason – including sex-selective purposes – at any point up to and during birth.

Thousands of vulnerable lives - at the beginning and the end of life - depend on what happens next. We must do everything in our power to stop these radical proposals.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Our campaign against the Leadbeater Bill in the House of Lords is working, but the work we have already done has significantly stretched our limited resources.

We are now stepping up our efforts against the assisted suicide Bill while launching a major push to stop the abortion up to birth amendment in the Lords. 

To fight effectively on both fronts, we aim to raise £183,750 by midnight this Sunday (5 October 2025).

Every donation, large or small, will help protect lives, and UK taxpayers can add 25p to every £1 through Gift Aid at no extra cost.

Will you donate now to help protect vulnerable lives from these two major threats?

URGENT
APPEAL
to protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight the next phase of our battles against major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.