Petition Launched Urging Prime Minister Theresa May to Condemn ‘Anti Christian Bigots’ for Demonising Pro Life and Socially Conservative Northern Ireland MPs
Pro-life campaigners have launched a petition calling on Prime Minister Theresa May to condemn attacks on Northern Ireland MPs who oppose abortion and same sex marriage.
The initiative has been taken by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) which was formed in 1967 - the same year as the Abortion Act was passed.
The hard hitting petition, which has been drawn up in the wake of widespread criticism of the proposed deal with the socially conservative Democratic Unionist Party to keep the minority Tory government in power, states:
"We the undersigned call upon the Prime Minister to reject the anti-Christian bigotry of the vicious attacks on Northern Ireland's MPs.
"The hostility directed at Northern Ireland MPs is an attempt to silence anyone in public life, who seeks to defend marriage based on Christian principles and the right to life of unborn babies.
"The United Kingdom is founded on Christian principles and those who uphold Christian values are not extremists. As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, it is your responsibility to ensure that anti-Christian prejudice has no place in British politics."
SPUC is the oldest pro-life group in the world and before the election criticised Labour’s manifesto for including an explicit pro-abortion pledge in their manifesto implying support for the decriminalisation of abortion both in Britain and in Northern Ireland (to where the Abortion Act does not extend).
Liam Gibson, SPUC's Northern Ireland Development Officer, said:
"The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is solidly pro-life and has consistently voted to defend all human life, not only in Northern Ireland, but at Westminster and in Europe as well. They have also defended marriage as the lifelong union of a man and a woman. This position reflects the views of the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland as well as a solid block of opinion in Britain.
Mr Gibson added: "Northern Ireland has steadfastly resisted every effort to implement the legalisation of abortion which would inevitably result in a slaughter of innocent babies. That’s why Northern Ireland MPs whose support Theresa May needs to form a government are under such unremitting attack by the pro-abortion lobby right now.
"This petition will give people the opportunity to send a message to the Prime Minister urging her to stand up to the bullies and the bigots seeking to demonise anyone who rejects the social policies which have led to the killing of over 8.7 million unborn children under the Abortion Act in Britain."
Antonia Tully, SPUC’s Director of Campaigns, said:
"The pro-abortion lobby are pushing for decriminalisation of abortion in Britain and in Northern Ireland because they don't care about the impact of abortion on women or refuse to look at what that impact is. We really do care that women who have an abortion experience mental health problems 30% more often compared with women who give birth. It matters to us that a study has shown that the risk of suicide is approximately six times greater after an abortion than after childbirth.
"We are fighting the decriminalisation of abortion every inch of the way. In October 2017 SPUC is holding a mass constituency-based lobby of MPs. We are aiming for every MP in the country to hear first-hand of the dangers to women and babies of decriminalising abortion. We want the firm commitment of MPs to oppose any moves to decriminalise abortion.
"The attacks on Northern Ireland MPs whose support the Prime Minister needs to form a government, have been launched in order to promote the pro-abortion campaign to decriminalise abortion both in Britain and in Northern Ireland."
SPUC chief executive John Smeaton said:
"This year as we mark our 50th anniversary the right to life of unborn children in Northern Ireland is facing renewed threats from a series of court cases and from politicians pledged to introduce abortion."
Mr Smeaton added:
"Arguably our greatest achievement of the pro-life movement over the past 50 years has been the prevention of the extension of the Abortion Act to Northern Ireland but the battle is never-ending - as the current attacks on Northern Ireland’s DUP MPs for their stand on abortion are showing.
"When the Northern Ireland Department of Justice held a public consultation on proposals to liberalise the abortion in the Province more than 97 percent of people rejected any change in the law."
Mr Smeaton said:
"Pro-abortion groups promote abortion on a massive scale. They want unlimited abortion.
"They want to establish the killing of babies as part of the health service and demand public funding of abortions. The abortion industry in Britain makes a fortune because the NHS pays commercial abortion providers to kill babies.
"SPUC exists now for the same reason it was created in 1967. To protect human life from conception. To fight for the rights of those who cannot defend themselves. To give voice to the voiceless - the unknown, the unseen, the unheard. To make the world hear the silent screams of babies being killed on an industrial scale.
"Since the Abortion Act of 1967, an estimated 8.7 million unborn children have been killed in the UK - that’s almost FIVE times the 1.8 million population of Northern Ireland.
"There are around 200,000 abortions every year in the UK - that’s 550 every day. Almost all (98 per cent) carried out at the expense of the taxpayer.
"SPUC - and our pro-life allies - seek to uphold Article Three of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees the right to life so that unborn babies are not treated as 'non-persons'.
"The job of the pro-life movement in 2017 is to make the idea of stopping abortion completely in the UK completely normal - because it really is normal not to kill children.
"The pro-life and pro-family citizens of Britain and Northern Ireland will not be silenced by the vicious attacks on the pro-life and pro-family values of Northern Ireland MPs who are currently in the spotlight as Theresa May seeks to form a government with their support", John Smeaton concluded.
Contact us
For further information contact Liam Gibson, Northern Ireland Development Officer on:
Or Alithea Williams, SPUC's Communications Officer can be contacted on: