—  Press Release —

Precious Life launch new online '79 Percent Campaign' to highlight overwhelming opposition to abortion in Northern Ireland

Date: 27th March 2020 

Precious Life have launched a new online Campaign to highlight the overwhelming opposition to the introduction of abortion in Northern Ireland, revealed through the UK Government’s public consultation. The six-week Consultation, which ran from 4 November to 16 December last year, received thousands of submissions from people and organisations across Northern Ireland, with a staggering 79% opposed to ANY change to Northern Ireland’s long-standing pro-life laws.

Bernadette Smyth, Head of Precious Life, said: “We’ve launched this important new online campaign, called the ’79 Percent Campaign’ to express the public frustration and horror at the prospect of this barbaric new abortion law enforced by the UK Government. The people of Northern Ireland, in their many thousands, have persistently made their voices heard and their outright opposition to abortion known.

“In September last year, Precious Life’s ‘March for Their Lives’ in Belfast City Centre saw an tens of thousands of people gridlock Belfast City Centre to march for the protection of life and against any change to our pro-life laws. We then launched a consultation guide and we had hundreds of people get in touch with us for guidance, and thousands of pro-life people throughout Northern Ireland responded in total opposition to a change in the law. This is clearly expressed in the results of the consultation.”

Mrs Smyth continued: “Yet, we have seen this week, that the UK Government are willing to ignore the results of its own consultation because they are so bloodthirsty and devoted to destroying and killing human lives through abortion in Northern Ireland, even at a time of unprecedented national crisis. People are outraged, upset and hugely frustrated that their democratic voice has been ignored – we have launched this new online Campaign to spread the message that this law is not in the name of people here, and to show the faces and tell the stories of some of the 79% who opposed this law in the consultation.”

Mrs Smyth concluded: “As part of this Campaign, we are highlighting what this cruel and extreme law would mean for mothers and babies here – abortion up to the point of birth for disabilities, and on demand right through to a minimum of six months for any reason. We are asking the thousands of pro-life people in Northern Ireland to urgently write to their MLAs asking them to pass emergency legislation to repeal this unjust and inhumane law.”

ENDS