"We will Expose Every MLA who Votes for Fatal Discrimination of Unborn Children"
In the lead up to three amendments being put to a vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly which could legalise abortion of unborn children diagnosed with a life-limiting disability and unborn children conceived in rape, right up to the moment of birth, Precious Life is very hopeful that those political parties with pro-life manifestos will vote against the amendments.
Last night, hundreds of people had braced the bitter wind and rain to stand outside the main gates of Stormont to pray for the defeat of the amendments and for the continued protection of mothers and their unborn children in Northern Ireland. Rev Jack Lamb of Townsend Street Presbyterian Church and Fr Patrick McCafferty attended the vigil and led the evening’s prayers.
Bernadette Smyth, the director of Precious Life who organised last night’s vigil, comments:
“There is a myth being perpetuated that 7 out of 10 people here want to see abortion legalised in cases where an unborn child has been diagnosed with a life-limiting disability or where an unborn child has been conceived in rape. This is simply not true. Last April, an overwhelming 99% of the responses to Justice Minister David Ford’s proposals to legalise abortion in the same circumstances opposed any change to the law.
“The people of Northern Ireland have made their voices heard that abortion will never be in their name, and we are very hopeful that the political parties who had won the votes of the people in the last Northern Ireland Assembly election and were elected because of their strongly pro-life party policies will vote against these evil amendments tomorrow.
“We expect all those political parties to uphold their electoral promises. If any of these political parties or individual MLAs vote in favour of these amendments, there will be a public outcry from the people of Northern Ireland. We will expose every MLA who votes for the fatal discrimination of unborn children in our upcoming election campaign.”
The amendments are due to be debated and put to a vote on Wednesday 10th February.