“United Nations Human Rights Committee Recommendations Cannot Force Northern Ireland to Change Laws”
The United Nations Human Rights Committee meets regularly to monitor how the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is being implemented by the state parties which have signed the covenant. Each state party is obliged to submit regular reports. The Committee then examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations in the form of ‘concluding observations’. Although the eighteen Committee members are entitled to express their concerns and make recommendations, they have no power or authority to force any state party to change its laws, policies or practices.
On Tuesday 21st July 2015, the Committee issued its concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom. Among the issues addressed was the criminal offence of abortion in Northern Ireland. The Committee expressed a concern that the illegality of abortion is ‘putting women’s life and health at risk’ and recommends that the Northern Ireland Assembly legalise abortion, ‘including in cases of rape, incest, and fatal foetal abnormality’.
In response to the Committee’s recommendations, Bernadette Smyth, the director of Precious Life, stated:
‘The Committee tries to cause confusion by turning the killing of an unborn child into a ‘health’ matter. However, it must be understood that the crime of directly and intentionally killing unborn children does not prevent healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland from directly treating or curing any medical condition that may arise during pregnancy. In fact, it has been widely reported that both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are among the safest places for women and their babies. According to a recent research paper by Byron Calhoun, John Thorp and Patrick Carroll, both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have displayed lower rates of all morbidities and mortality associated with legalised abortion.’
Bernadette Smyth continued:
‘There is no recognised human right to abortion. And as the Attorney General of Northern Ireland John Larkin made clear when speaking before Mr Justice Horner during the judicial review of abortion law in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Assembly is under no obligation in international human rights law to legalise the outright discrimination of innocent unborn children.’
Precious Life is confident that the Northern Ireland Assembly will remain steadfastly opposed to any move to legalise abortion and will continue to defend the united and unyielding conviction of the people of Northern Ireland that every human being, born or unborn, has an unconditional right to life and must be protected in law, policy and practice.