DUP pair set out abortion opposition 'forcibly' in meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris ahead of commissioning of services

Opposition to the roll-out of abortion services in Northern Ireland in the absence of a functioning Stormont Executive was "forcibly" put to the Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris on Wednesday, the DUP say.
By Niall Deeney
Published 3rd Nov 2022, 08:01 BST
The DUP’s Paul Givan and Carla Lockhart after meeting with the NI secretaryThe DUP’s Paul Givan and Carla Lockhart after meeting with the NI secretary
The DUP’s Paul Givan and Carla Lockhart after meeting with the NI secretary

The party's former First Minister Paul Givan and the Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart met with the Northern Ireland Secretary in Belfast to set out their opposition to the commissioning of abortion services.

Liberal abortion laws for Northern Ireland were passed at Westminster in 2019 during a previous, three-year period without a devolved, powersharing Assembly at Stormont.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

While the law was changed, services were not immediately rolled out.

Last week, with Stormont down again, the UK government announced that it will commission abortion services for women and girls.

The Department of Health had previously indicated it could not do so without the agreement of the Stormont Executive, which has not sat since February due to the DUP's ongoing protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The DUP's Carla Lockhart and Paul Givan have now met with the Secretary of State to voice their concerns.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In a joint statement issued through the party's press office, the DUP representatives said: “It is deeply regrettable that the Secretary of State has continued down the pathway of Brandon Lewis by commissioning abortion services here in Northern Ireland.

"This is a devolved matter. It is for those elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly, and those appointed to serve in any future Executive, to decide on the law regarding abortion in this part of the United Kingdom."

The statement continued: "In a society where there are such deeply held views, on both sides of the argument, it is not surprising that reaching consensus on this issue at Stormont has been elusive. However, the answer to that is not to impose the pro-abortion minority viewpoint."

The DUP pair added: "We made this point forcibly to the Secretary of State and that his actions undermine both the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland and how devolution might be viewed by many people. The Secretary of State should be working to see the return of devolution and local decision making ."

Related topics:Stormont ExecutiveNorthern IrelandChris Heaton-HarrisDUPOpposition