“An Historic Day”: 300,000 Pro-Life Petitions Presented to Stormont
On 28th November 2016, it was revealed that the working group established to find better ways to care and support mothers and fathers whose unborn children have been diagnosed with life-limiting disabilities in Northern Ireland has recommended legislative change to allow abortion in these cases.
The working group reported its findings to the Justice Minister and Health Minister on 11th October, but its conclusions have not yet been published. However, a BBC NI news article earlier today revealed that a “Stormont source” confirmed to the BBC that the working group has recommended a change in the law.
This news remarkably coincides with Jim Wells MLA’s presentation of 300,000 pro-life petitions before the Speaker of the Assembly earlier today. These petitions were collected by Precious Life and were presented on behalf of the pro-life majority in Northern Ireland.
Bernadette Smyth, the director of Precious Life, commented on the presentation of the 300,000 petitions and the recommendations of the working group:
“Today is an historic day. Fifty-seven boxes bursting with over 300,000 pro-life petitions were delivered to Stormont Parliament Buildings earlier today and then delivered to the Department of Justice. Precious Life would like to thank Jim Wells MLA for announcing this incredible number of petitions to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
“The message was clear today: the pro-life majority in Northern Ireland are calling on the government to protect unborn children and their mothers from abortion. It is a disgrace that the working group completely ignored the views of the pro-life majority of Northern Ireland by bringing forward a recommendation for a change in the law.
“Shame on Martin McGuinness MLA and Sinn Fein for calling for a change in the law. When will they learn that the term ‘fatal foetal abnormality’ is not a medical diagnosis, that no doctor can determine with certainty how long an unborn child will live? Mr McGuinness MLA also claims that ‘opinion polls’ show that the people of Northern Ireland support a change in the law. Again, only 1000 people were asked to take part in Amnesty’s opinion polls. The overwhelming number of pro-life petitions presented to the Northern Ireland Assembly today put those opinion polls to shame.”
Gemma Bradley, a spokesperson for Every Life Counts NI, is a mother whose unborn baby girl, Lily Rose, was diagnosed with a life-limiting condition called Trisomy 18. Gemma shared her story with the working group and urged them that abortion was not the answer, that mothers and fathers in such heartbreaking circumstances needed better perinatal hospice care. Gemma is shocked and deeply hurt that the working group completely ignored her views and the views of so many others:
“Why did the working group ignore my recommendations and the recommendations of other mothers from Every Life Counts NI? It is particularly shameful that the working group completely ignored the fact that in April 2015 it was revealed that over 99% of the responses to the then Justice Minister David Ford MLA’s consultation of changing the law to allow abortion of unborn babies with life-limiting disabilities opposed any change in the law.
“What mothers and their precious babies with life-limiting conditions need is better perinatal hospice care, not abortion.”
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