?The statistics were based on termination rates across the rest of the UK.

A new report has estimated that the lives of 100,000 people have been saved because of Northern Ireland’s pro-life laws.

The report was produced by Both Lives Matter, a new collaborative movement of individuals and organisations seeking to reframe the abortion debate in Northern Ireland. The figure was calculated using termination rates across the rest of the UK.

Spokeswoman Dawn McAvoy said: "There are people alive in Northern Ireland today who would not have been born if the 1967 Abortion Act had been introduced here.

"Using a statistically cautious approach, we estimate there are 100,000 people alive today who would not be had we introduced the 1967 Abortion Act."

David Ford vowing to continue push for abortion for disabled babies

The report comes as David Ford, who had been pushing for a law allowing for abortion in cases of "fatal foetal abnormality" before the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday, has vowed to continue his efforts.

Read our blog- What does the political situation in Northern Ireland mean for abortion?

Ford said: "Should the people of South Antrim re-elect me to the position of their MLA, on my first day back I will go to the Speaker’s office and resubmit my bill, with a view to progressing it through the next assembly term." The Northern Ireland Assembly decisively rejected the legalisation of abortion for babies with life-limiting conditions in a vote in February last year.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/18/anti-abortion-report-law-reform-northern-ireland-pregnancy

News in brief

Couple fails in Court of Appeal change to assisted dying

Disability rights campaigners have failed in a bid to challenge the Director of Public Prosecution's policy on assisted suicide which they fear leaves vulnerable people "at risk from dodgy doctors".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/17/couple-fails-court-appeal-challenge-change-assisted-dying-policy/

Proposed Iowa bill would let women sue doctors who perform their abortions

Iowa lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow a woman who gets an abortion to sue the doctor who performed it if she experiences emotional distress later.