Ruadhán Jones
Green Party leader Clare Bailey Iona Institute NI have called the North’s assembly’s vote to ban pro-life work outside abortion clinics “diabolical”.
Two thirds of MLAs voted in favour of the ‘Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill’ tabled by Green Party leader Clare Bailey, including the SDLP and Sinn Féin representatives.
Areas
The bill would establish areas outside clinics that offer abortion services or family planning advice where activities that seek to influence or impede people attending would be criminalised.
Tracey Harkin of the Iona Institute NI called the move “diabolical”, saying there’s “no justification for it”.
She added that while everyone condemns harassment, this bill is “trying to prevent any sort of help or support or outreach.”
Souls
“For those generous souls who show up outside abortion centres and offer vulnerable women advice and support, especially financial help and just friendship – we know that we’re saving lives and that’s just Christianity in action, it’s love in action,” Ms Harkin said.
“I think it’s a sad reflection, we now have not one MLA from a nationalist or a republican perspective that actually had the courage to even debate this properly,” she continued. “Now we’re not even to be able to pray outside, or to hand out a leaflet for a woman to get help. It’s diabolical.”
No date has been set for the committee stage of the bill, the third in seven stages.