Northern Irish Peer, Baroness O’Loan, and Northern Irish MP, Carla Lockhart, have joined forces to facilitate an open letter to MPs and Peers from England, Wales and Scotland from the people of Northern Ireland.
The letter asks these MPs and Peers - who will all have a vote in determining Northern Ireland’s abortion law within the next ten days - not to disenfranchise the people in Northern Ireland (the only people who will be impacted by the law) by drowning out and undermining the voices of their representatives. This follows the last Westminster vote on abortion in July 2019 in which 100% of Northern Irish MPs present voted against the legislation, but it was imposed on them because of the greater number of English, Welsh and Scottish MPs, enforcing their different will on Northern Ireland.
Baroness O’Loan and Carla Lockhart are now asking the public in Northern Ireland to join them by putting their names to this letter which, following the Assembly vote to reject the Regulations on 2 June, asks British MPs and Peers to respect devolution by either voting to give effect to the Assembly decision or, if they feel unable to do this, to abstain.
The MP and Peer have also asked the public to help them get as many names as possible on the letter ahead of the Regulations being debated in the Houses of Commons this week and the House of Lords (15 June).
If you know someone who lives in Northern Ireland who would be interested in signing this, please forward this email to them.
Heidi Crowter of Don't Screen Us Out was central to the motion proposed in the Northern Ireland Assembly last week. She addressed the 2016 National Vigil For Life in Dublin.
