Marie Stopes abortion plans for Belfast a matter for the police and the courts

Precious Life has said that the announcement that Marie Stopes International are opening an abortion centre in Belfast, is a matter for the police and courts.

Bernadette Smyth said, “Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland and remains a criminal offence. The crime is punishable by the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. What is legal in Northern Ireland is to provide genuine life saving treatment to pregnant women.”

“We will be contacting the Police, Public Prosecution Service, the Attorney General and our Department of Health, to ensure the law here is rigorously enforced. Our unborn children must be protected from hands of Marie Stopes International, who make millions of pounds every year by killing unborn children,” the Precious Life Director said.

To contact Assembly Members asking them to uphold the law and protect unborn children please go to the Precious Life Action Alert page: http://www.preciouslife.com/?pid=pages&va=30&vb=227&vc=3&at=2&ac=2&ai=227

She added, “This shows the desperation of the pro-abortion movement who are attempting to bypass our government and legal system and perform abortions in Northern Ireland. They want to ride rough-shod over the views of the vast majority of people here, over our Assembly; and over the authority of our courts.”

Bernadette Smyth concluded “Any attempt to start killing unborn children in Northern Ireland will fail. We remain confident that anyone who tries to perform abortions in Northern Ireland will be brought to justice.”

Marie Stopes International has hired Dawn Purvis, the former PUP politician, to head up their abortion services. The PUP were the political wing of the UVF, the paramilitaries who carried out some of the most brutal murders during the Troubles in the north.

Rebecca Roughneen of Youth Defence added: "Marie Stopes want to perform abortions in a private clinic in Belfast in the absence of any legislation or regulations permitting them to do so. They are well aware of this and are looking for free publicity and to issue a challenge to the people of Northern Ireland who continue to oppose the legalisation of abortion.

"Marie Stopes exists to make money from killing unborn children. Recently, the Irish Independent reported that an Irish woman almost died while undergoing an abortion at a Marie Stopes clinic in Britain. These abortion providers don't care for women and they are not welcome here. There is always a better answer for mothers and babies."

Meanwhile, Edwin Poots, Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Edwin Poots, has already questioned the legal position of the centre. The Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor Dr Noel Treanor said the clinic “further undermines the sanctity and dignity of human life in our society where the most vulnerable and defenceless human beings are already under threat”.

“It is with great concern and dismay that I, like many fellow citizens who value and seek to protect human life, received news of the decision to open a Marie Stopes clinic in Belfast where medical abortion will be offered,” he said.

“As a Christian community and as citizens, not only must we show compassion for women who find themselves facing an unwanted pregnancy, but we should support them to explore avenues which provide care while respecting the life of their child in the womb. We should enable them to respond to such situations in a life-affirming and positive way,” the Bishop added.

   

LINKS

Link to the Irish Independent report below

Link to the Belfast Telegraph