Face of Nation : An attempt by MPs to liberalize abortion in Northern Ireland is “not workable” in its current form, Baroness Nuala O’Loan has said.
Last week, MPs voted to change Northern Ireland’s abortion law and same-sex marriage if devolution is not restored at Stormont by 21 October.
Baroness O’Loan said MPs had “hijacked” a Northern Ireland bill to push through changes without any consultation. The amendments were “not formulated” in a way which could become law, she said.
“The clause which is currently in the bill does not work,” the baroness told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster program.
“It says the secretary of state must make regulations – the secretary of state can not.”
The government has said that it has not been posted, and that it has been “wrong in the case of the people of Northern Ireland. mSo you pointed out that “100% of the Northern Ireland MPs who have their seat in Westminster voted against this”.
Abortion remains illegal in Northern Ireland and same-sex marriage remains illegal.Amendments aimed at changing the law on both issues were tabled by Labor MPs Stella Creasy and Conor McGinn.
Baroness O’Loan is campaigning against liberalizing abortion and has written a letter to the prime minister objecting to the MPs’ actions.
MPs “who do not represent constituencies in Northern Ireland” and claims they have treated “with contempt”.
Co-authored by the Church of Ireland Archbishop Lord Eames, the letter is handed out at Northern Ireland on Sunday.
