Abortion reform is an outrage but so is reward for blackmail

On paper it has stricter rules around terminations early in a pregnancy than many other nations, because doctors have to approve it, but in practice it has abortion on demand until 24 weeks.

Now Northern Ireland faces the same laws, indeed more liberal ones. That MPs have done this to try to force Stormont back on Sinn Fein terms is an outrage. But it is the position.

There is now a significant pro life campaign to get power sharing devolved before October 21 to stop this. On these pages, we have run various comment pieces or letters to that effect, including from Peter Lynas, of the Evangelical Alliance, the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child and the letter from the ministers on the opposite page (see link below).

Their revulsion about what is about to happen is widely shared. The disagreement is over what must now happen.

The letter opposite “publicly” calls on the DUP to offer “a standalone Irish language act”. The authors are right to intuit that republicans will accept nothing less, even if it might have some nonsensical other title to pretend it is not standalone legislation, with far reaching implications.

But this would be another outrage. Sammy Brush, also opposite (see link below), articulates the anger that there will be at such appeasement.

Sinn Fein has been allowed to collapse Stormont and there will be no power sharing until it gets its way.

A Tory government has allowed this despite being dependent on the DUP. The government could have introduced direct rule long before MPs imposed a shameful abortion reform. Such taking back of power, including MLA scrutiny of NIO ministers, would have ensured that political parties that play by the rules still had democratic input into governance.

Northern Ireland is facing guaranteed future instability if one party that does not want NI to survive is allowed to successfully implement political blackmail in this way to get a cherished political goal.

Sammy Brush: I can barely believe church is urging DUP to give into SF blackmail

Ministers: DUP should concede Irish language to stop abortion