Appeal to pro-life voters to use "strategic voting" in NI elections

Appeal to pro-life voters to use "strategic voting" in NI elections: Precious Life

The biggest pro-life group in the north of Ireland has urged voters who oppose abortion to use "strategic voting" in the upcoming Assembly elections on May 5th. 

Precious Life said the election was a key opportunity for pro-life voters who were dismayed at the imposition of abortion by the parliament in Westminster in 2019. 

Yesterday the group, which says it is currently on an 'Vote pro-Life' roadshow posted a video telling voters that they could "learn how to strategically use the 'Transferable Vote' system to ensure ONLY pro-life candidates are elected on May 5."

Political parties standing in the May 5th elections who have agreed to a pro-life statements include Aontú, the DUP and the TUV. 

Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life said "In Northern Ireland, there are members of our human family being killed."

Little ‘persons’ in their mothers’ wombs can now legally be killed by abortion.

How did this happen?

In October 2019 while our Assembly was suspended, abortion was forced on Northern Ireland by the Westminster Parliament, through Section 9 of the NI Executive Formation Act.

This overturned the sections of the "Offences against the Person Act" that had protected unborn babies and their mothers  from abortion for over 150 years. Literally overnight, unborn babies were stripped of their personhood

Westminster’s new abortion regulations then came into force in March 2020

Even though abortion has not yet been “fully commissioned” in all hospitals in Northern Ireland, over 2,394 babies have now been killed by abortion since March 2020.

And despite the large numbers of babies already killed, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis issued a directive in July 2021 to force our Assembly to “fully commission” abortion of babies up to the 24th week in pregnancy, and abortion up to the moment of birth for babies with disabilities, including Down’s Syndrome, Club Foot and Cleft Palette. The directive was challenged in the High Court in October 2021, but in February 2022, the judge ruled in favour of Brandon Lewis' power to ignore devolution and override the NI Assembly.

In December 2021, the Assembly was asked to vote on whether babies with disabilities should be protected from abortion. 42 MLAs said yes, but tragically, 45 MLAs supported killing these babies. Those supporting the killing of disabled babies included Sinn Féin, some SDLP, Alliance, Ulster Unionist, Green Party and People Before Profit.

Northern Ireland was plunged into a fresh political crisis last week (Feb 2022) when First Minister Paul Givan resigned in protest at the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol. This leaves Northern Ireland without a functioning Executive, but the Assembly can continue working in the weeks that are left before it is dissolved for the 2022 Election in May.

Assembly Speaker Alex Maskey from Sinn Fein told MLAs it was his intention the Assembly passes “as much legislation as possible” in the weeks ahead.

Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill also said legislation to criminalise pro-life people needed to be passed into law before the election.

She said a Bill to criminalise women and men who pray outside abortion centres was a “hugely important” issue - “Sinn Fein wants to work with the other parties to make sure they are taken forward in the limited time we have left  …I stand ready to do this important work, and whilst time is of the essence, progress is still possible …That should be the singular focus of this Assembly in the weeks ahead.”

This Bill to criminalise and silence pro-life peope is also supported by SDLP, Alliance, Ulster Unionist, Green Party and People Before Profit.

But it should come as no surprise they support silencing people on the streets, when they support silencing babies in the womb.

Some MLAs in the Assembly unashamedly admit their support, while some deviously claim they are 'pro-life' while voting in support of abortion at any opportunity.

All these pro-abortion MLAs must be "voted out" of our Assembly and replaced with politicians who will uphold the right to life of EVERY PERSON – before and after birth.

You will have this opportunity to replace them on Thursday 5th May.

We must vote only for pro-life candidates in the new Assembly Election.

Restoring Personhood for all our unborn babies must be the Number 1 issue for you when deciding who you will vote for

The Political Parties must be told NOW that you will only vote for their candidates if they work to RESTORE PERSONHOOD for all unborn babies in Northern Ireland. If the candidates come knocking on your door asking for your vote, you must ask them will they give you a guarantee to do everything in their power to Repeal Section 9 of the NI Executive Formation Act and enact new legislation to protect our unborn babies.

If any candidate won’t give you a guarantee to uphold the right to life for babies in the womb, tell them you won’t give them your vote — no matter how appealing their other policies may be.

In Northern Ireland, many people traditionally vote 'Unionist' or 'Nationalist'. Or some people vote for a so-called 'centrist' party like Alliance, or environmental party like the Greens, or socialist party like People Before Profit. But you must see beyond these issues.

If a candidate cannot respect the right to life of a little baby in the womb, how can they be trusted to respect or uphold any of your rights or other issues that are important to you?

Remember, the most fundamental human right is the right to life itself - without it, all other rights are meaningless.

On 5th May – VOTE PRO-LIFE to ensure we have a new pro-life Assembly that will RESTORE PERSONHOOD for all unborn babies in Northern Ireland.