Sinn Féin and some of the SDLP accept British abortion rule in Ireland

Sinn Féin and SDLP MLAs also refused at the time to reject the gross discrimination of the Westminster legislation that allows abortion up until birth for an unborn child with a disability (SF MLAs and many SDLP MLAs welcomed the legislation).

As an Irish republican party, Aontú looks forward to the day when our nation can be constituted as envisaged by the United Irishmen on Belfast’s Cave Hill in 1798.

They asked that Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter unite in their common home, and acknowledge that English laws would never be made in the interests of Irish people.

In the dying days of a failed Westminster parliament, and in contravention of constitutional law, abortion until birth was foisted upon the people of the north. This is a devolved issue, as recognised in the Good Friday Agreement.

A consultation exercise regarding this unconstitutional interference of Westminster was undertaken, and 79% of 41,000 responses opposed the new laws. This was ignored, because, to many in the British establishment, the Irish can’t be trusted to organise their own affairs.

How ironic then, that in our local legislature, the acceptance of British rule in Ireland came from Sinn Féin. We saw the new ‘woke’ co-opted SDLP MLAs ditching their party’s right to life heartland vote in a pathetic effort to woo the neo liberal vote.

It is also ironic that MLAs that festooned their social media with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter would not use their vote to confirm that the lives of unborn children with disabilities matter too.

That a legislature in a supposedly civilised society is required to debate eugenics in 2020 is shocking.

That Sinn Féin and SDLP MLAs are (as I believe) in effect dividing life up between ‘lives worthy of living and lives unworthy of living’ is shocking.

A clear message has been sent to the British parliament. The courageous witness of people like Heidi Crowter, a woman with Down’s syndrome, and Peter Martin, born with a cleft palate are an inspiration.

They are the embodiment of the truth that All Lives Matter.

Dr Anne McCloskey, deputy leader, Aontú