On Friday the 6th and Saturday the 7th September, Northern Ireland saw two demonstrations with as many as 20,000 pro-lifers at each against the new abortion regime set to be imposed by Westminster.
Pro-lifers in Northern Ireland attending these rallies are objecting to a Westminster imposed abortion regime which would permit abortion up to 28 weeks for any reason, including abortion on the grounds of the sex of the baby. In fact, the new law removes all regulations and safeguards on abortion throughout the first 7 months of pregnancy. In which case, abortions could be performed in almost any setting and on children without the knowledge or consent of their parents.
On Friday, as many as 20,000 people attended a silent demonstration outside of the Northern Ireland Assembly and a further 20,000 attended a rally in the centre of Belfast, against the imposition of a new extreme abortion law the following day, according to rally organisers.
In the silent demonstration outside Stormont on Friday, tens of thousands of citizens of Northern Ireland urged the Assembly to reconvene to stop abortion being forced on the region. According to the Facebook page of the organisers of the silent demonstration, ‘NI voiceless’, those attending declared:
“That we, the post-birth people of NI, were not asked about this undemocratic change, which does not reflect public or political opinion here.”
“That they, the pre-birth people of NI, cannot speak in defence of their own right to life and we cannot sit back without standing for them.”
‘NI voiceless’ is urging pro-lifers across Northern Ireland to “stand for the value of human life” by campaigning for the protection of unborn babies and ensuring provision for their mothers. Additionally, citizens in Northern Ireland are being encouraged to refuse to vote for politicians and parties which do not value the lives of mothers and their babies.
The rally on Saturday, which took place in Custom House Square, saw Baroness O’Loan, a former police ombudsman, speak to the crowd, urging the Northern Ireland Assembly to reconvene in order to stop abortion being imposed on the region.
Baroness O’Loan was one of the principal voices in the House of Lords who spoke in opposition to the extreme abortion regime which went through the Houses of Parliament in July. The legislation is set to be imposed on Northern Ireland unless Stormont is able to reconvene by 21st October. If the legislation is implemented, Northern Ireland will have the most extreme abortion law in the UK, and one of the most extreme in the EU.
The Baroness described the decision of the House of Commons to impose abortion on Northern Ireland as being “reminiscent of colonial days” as it undermined the sovereignty of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the people of Northern Ireland to make their own decisions about their own abortion law.
The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill 2019, was primarily intended to extend the period for Stormont to reconvene. However, pro-abortion members of the Houses of Commons and Lords added radical abortion amendments which would see abortion made available without any restrictions or safeguards in Northern Ireland up until 28 weeks (7 months) gestation.
The manner in which this Bill was fast tracked through the Houses of Parliament without proper scrutiny or debate has been described as “constitutionally unacceptable” by the House of Lords Select Committee. The British Parliament decided to force abortion on Northern Ireland without the support of a single Northern Ireland MP sitting in the House of Commons.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK Catherine Robinson said:
“The people of Northern Ireland want a say in their own abortion laws, but they have been given none. But these demonstrations with tens of thousands of people have made the views of the people of Northern Ireland clear: they do not want Westminster imposing an extreme abortion law on the region.
“Unlike Westminster, the people of Northern Ireland recognise that both lives matter, both lives are important, mothers and their children, born or unborn.”
