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Pro-life MLA Christopher Stalford dies at 39

Member of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland and pro-lifer, Christopher Stalford, died suddenly over the weekend.

The DUP MLA died at just 39. He had taken over the Severe Fetal Impairment Abortion (Amendment) Bill after Paul Givan MLA, who previously sponsored the Bill, became the First Minister in Northern Ireland.

Mr Stalford was principal deputy speaker and had represented South Belfast since 2016, having served previously as councillor, high sheriff of Belfast and deputy mayor.

He is survived by his wife Laura and four children.

A champion of the pro-life cause

Mr Stalford had been a strong pro-life politician, having voted for life on all 6 votes that occurred during his time in the Assembly. The Severe Fetal Impairment Abortion (Amendment) Bill, which Mr Stalford had sponsored, would have made abortion on the grounds of non-fatal disabilities, such as Down’s syndrome, cleft lip and club foot, illegal..

At one stage in the discussion with the Stormont health committee, he was highly critical of input from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) who he believed suggested “that the care of those people with disabilities is so difficult that doctors would rather not provide that care”.

He was especially concerned about the impact of the current abortion law on people with Down’s syndrome. The abortion law in Northern Ireland allows babies with Down’s syndrome to be aborted up to birth.

In addition to his pro-life work, his colleagues and friends noted his wry humour, passion for politics and debate, and love for his wife and children.

DUP deputy leader Paula Bradley led a tearful tribute to her deceased colleague saying: “Christopher’s joy came not in holding office but in how he could use that office to improve the everyday lives of those he was honoured to represent”.

“It was a mark of the man that he had friends on all sides of this chamber”.

Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said: “Our deepest sympathies go out to Mr Stalford’s family for whom his untimely passing must come as a great shock. His contribution to the pro-life cause in particular should not be forgotten and we will continue this legacy fighting for the right to life for all people, born and unborn”.

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Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Dear reader,

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of people like you across the UK, the McArthur assisted suicide Bill in Scotland was defeated in March by 69 votes to 57.

Then, in April, the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill fell in the House of Lords.

Many commentators thought both Bills would become law.

If that had happened, governments in England, Scotland and Wales would now be preparing to roll out assisted suicide services.

Over the coming decades, this would have led to the deaths of many thousands of vulnerable people.

But that is not what happened.

Because supporters like you acted, those Bills were stopped.

Because of you, many vulnerable lives have been saved.

These were two very significant victories. But sadly, they are not the last battles we face this year.

The new Parliamentary session began on Wednesday. We now face three major threats.

  1. Attempts to bring back the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill and bypass the House of Lords

    The assisted suicide lobby, led by Dignity in Dying, a multi-million-pound pressure group, has made it clear that it is going to attempt to bring back the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill in the next parliamentary session.

    It then plans to use the Parliament Acts to bypass the House of Lords and force the Bill into law.

  2. Labour Government plans for a major expansion of abortion provision, including financial incentives for ‘lunch-hour’ abortions

    Under these plans, the Government would financially incentivise major abortion providers, BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices, to provide ‘lunch-hour’ or ‘same-day’ abortions.

    ‘Lunch-hour’ abortion services are walk-in abortion services designed to fit into a woman’s lunch hour.

    Women facing an unplanned pregnancy need time, care and support, not a system that gives abortion clinics a financial incentive to rush them through consultations, scans and abortions on the same day.

    If these plans go ahead, many more lives are likely to be ended by abortion here in the UK.

  3. Extreme abortion up to birth proposals in Scotland

    In Scotland, plans are moving forward to introduce an extreme abortion up to birth law. This would go far beyond the abortion law change recently backed by the Lords for England and Wales.

    A review of abortion law in Scotland, commissioned by Humza Yousaf when he was Scottish First Minister, recommended that the Scottish Government scrap the current 24-week time limit – and abortion be available on social grounds, including for sex-selective purposes, right up to birth.

    The final plans are expected to be brought forward as a Government Bill in the new Scottish Parliament, which begins this Thursday.

If these three major threats succeed, thousands of vulnerable lives will be lost.

We cannot allow this to happen.

We can only defeat these three major threats with your help.

We ran our biggest campaigns ever to help defeat the assisted suicide Bills at Westminster and in Scotland.

That work has made a serious dent in our limited resources.

To cover this gap and ensure we can effectively defeat these three major threats in the coming months, we are aiming to raise at least £199,250 by midnight this Sunday (17 May 2026).

We are, therefore, appealing to you to please give as generously as you can.

Every donation, large or small, will make a crucial difference in saving the lives of the unborn and many others. Plus, if you are a UK taxpayer, £1 becomes £1.25 with Gift Aid at no extra cost to you.

By stopping these threats, YOU can save lives during this new Parliamentary session.

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

EMERGENCY
APPEAL
to SAVE
lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help stop three major anti-life threats.