The DUP want UK-wide laws but deny UK rights to women in Northern Ireland
The recent talks on restoring power sharing in Northern Ireland are welcome, but they beg the question of how the DUP can square one particular circle.
When faced with Brexit’s impossible reconciliation of red lines and customs unions, the DUP insist on uniform rules across the United Kingdom to keep Northern Ireland aligned — and yet they must be aware of the irony of denying consistent laws for women’s reproductive rights.
With the anniversary of the Irish vote to repeal the Eighth Amendment approaching, this stance holds Northern Ireland alone in the past.
If Stormont resumes, one of the first debates must surely be about the need for free, safe, and legal abortion in NI.
Michael Corkery, Glanmire, Cork