MPs formally approve NI abortion powers for Brandon Lewis

The House of Commons has formally approved regulations which enable Brandon Lewis to take action on rolling out abortion services in Northern Ireland.
Secretary of State Brandon Lewis speaking in the CommonsSecretary of State Brandon Lewis speaking in the Commons
Secretary of State Brandon Lewis speaking in the Commons

MPs voted 431 to 89, majority 342, in favour of the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021.

Northern Ireland Secretary Mr Lewis last month laid the regulations at Westminster. They give him the ability to compel the region’s health department to commission the services.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There was no time allocated for debate ahead of the vote on Tuesday.

Abortion laws in the region were liberalised by MPs at Westminster in 2019 at a time when powersharing was collapsed.

New abortion regulations came into operation a year ago and, while individual health trusts have been offering services on an ad hoc basis, the regulations were brought forward as the Department of Health had yet to centrally commission the services on a region-wide basis.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor

Related topics: