NORTHERN Ireland politicians united on the 8th August to oppose an attempt to legalise abortion in the Province.

They closed ranks after a cross-party group of MPs at Westminster put down an amendment that would, if passed, extend the 1967 Abortion Act to the Province.

It was tabled by Labour MP Diane Abbott, who argued that women throughout the UK should have the same rights.

The DUP's Jeffrey Donaldson said his party would fight tooth and nail any move to introduce the legislation into the Province.

The Stormont Junior Minister said: "Every political party in the Northern Ireland Executive is opposed to the extension of the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland.
"The leaders of the four main parties and the four main Churches wrote to every MP stating their opposition to the extension of the 1967 Act.
"Indeed, in a recent debate on the draft abortion guidelines drawn up by the Northern Ireland Department of Health, representatives from every party in the House, bar the sole PUP member, stated their opposition to abortion in Northern Ireland.
"The Government would be most unwise to accept this amendment as part of the final Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
"The people of Northern Ireland do not want 1967-style abortion, regardless of what Diane Abbott or certain pressure groups might say."

SDLP leader Mark Durkan said his party will also robustly oppose moves to extend the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland.
"The SDLP has been consistent in our total opposition to abortion and in particular to the proposed extension of the British 1967 Act to Northern Ireland," he said.
"The SDLP with full democratic conscience, will do everything we can to oppose these plans and will do so on behalf of the people who have elected us and on behalf of those human beings who can be saved if we can effectively curb and hold back the extension of this Act."

Sinn Fein also opposes the extension of the Act. The UUP and Alliance parties take no official line, allowing members to follow their own conscience, but the membership of both is also thought to be broadly opposed.

Karen Jardine, of Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland, said: "By tabling this amendment, these MPs are undermining our fledgling political structures at a time when the newly-restored Northern Ireland Assembly is still bedding down.
"They seem oblivious to the far-reaching implications of the changes that they wish to bring about."

Life NI`s Vivien Hunter said: "Abortion is not good for women, not good for babies and not good for society."

Amendment may be debated in the autumn

A GROUP of MPs has tabled a motion calling for current legislation on abortion to be extended to Northern Ireland.

The 1967 Abortion Act was never enacted in Northern Ireland but now there is to be an attempt to apply the legislation to the Province.

All the main local political parties with MPs at Westminster are opposed to it being extended to Northern Ireland.

Labour MP Diane Abbott has tabled an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill to give women in Northern Ireland the same abortion rights as in Britain.

The amendment was tabled on the last day of the parliamentary session before the summer recess, meaning MPs will not debate it until the autumn at the earliest - if at all, as there is no guarantee the Speaker will call it for discussion.

Ms Abbott said she believes there is "a very good chance" of it being passed by MPs.

Asked if members should vote to change the law when the majority of Northern Ireland MPs were against it, she said: "This is a matter decided by the British Parliament.
"I think it is not unreasonable that the British Parliament should say that all citizens in the British Isles should have the same rights.
"The effect of the amendment would be to give women in Northern Ireland exactly the same rights to
abortion with NHS funding that women elsewhere in Britain have."

There has been speculation the DUP was given assurances that the abortion laws would not be extended to the Province in return for its crucial support on the vote on detaining terror suspects for up to 42 days. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has insisted there were no deals.

Ms Abott's amendment has cross-party support from fellow left-wing MPs John McDonnell and Katy Clark, plus Tories Jacqui Lait and John Bercow and Lib Dem Evan Harris.

But there is significant Parliamentary opposition to her move.

Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group Jim Dobbin said: 'It is unbelievably arrogant for a few Westminster MPs, none of whom represent a Northern Ireland constituency, to go against the clearly-held views of the Northern Ireland Assembly and indeed the people it represents."