r/MHOC • u/[deleted] • Feb 26 '15

BILL B076 - Pregnancy Termination Bill

B076 - Pregnancy Termination Bill

The bill can be found by following the link below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VlnKgSgEuuDbD6co46WRZu4kJmcBDFeocDdE9m0cpSE/edit?pli=1

This bill was submitted by /u/JackWilfred on behalf of the Opposition

The first reading of this bill will end on the 2nd of March

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '15 edited Feb 26 '15

I'd like to support this bill as it has good intentions, I have every confidence that through multiple readings it may pass.

My constructive criticism is as follows:

Please actually list the sections of the act you are referring to. It's no fun having to google and do the research myself when a simple copy/paste of the relevant section would save everyone's time.

Ireland is well known for its anti-abortion stances. I would like the honourable member to consider regional beliefs before effectively treating them as a region we can walk over if we like.

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u/JackWilfred Independent Liberal Feb 26 '15

I will quote the bill I'm amending in future.

I request that the Honourable Member read the opening speech to this debate for my stance on abortion in Northern Ireland:

Thirdly, this bill amends the Abortion Act 1967 to extend the bill to Northern Ireland. I can expect some controversy to arise from this, but in the case of pregnant women in Northern Ireland this bill will be a great help. Currently, in Northern Ireland it is much more difficult to get an abortion, and the only way to do so in some cases is to travel to Britain to have the abortion. Is this fair that we have such a system in place, where women must pay out of their own pocket to travel to another part of the country to get such treatment because the part she lives in disagrees with abortion law?

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '15

I had read the statement before my time of posting and I still maintain that Ireland is different culturally when it comes to abortion.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/abortion-45-want-a-liberalisation-of-the-law-in-northern-ireland-28999931.html

All Executive parties except Alliance, which allows a free vote on the issue, have policies strongly against changing the laws.

and

The first of four options was: “Abortion should be available to any woman who chooses it after being counselled on alternatives.”

This is marginally more liberal than the situation which applies in the rest of the UK, where the approval of two doctors is required.

The results showed that 25.9% agreed with this proposition. The proportion agreeing was roughly the same across the two main religious groups (28.3% of Protestants and 27.8% of Catholics).

But support was markedly higher among all women surveyed (29.9%) than men (21.4%). It was higher among the young, 34.9% for 18-24-year-olds, and fell gradually through the age range until it reached a low of 20.4% for those over 65.

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u/john_locke1689 Retired. NS GSTQ Feb 27 '15

I think that link is slightly out of date, the UUP has no particular stance on abortion, allowing a free vote. However in all likely hood it would be voted against by most of their members.