Pro-life group SPUC condemns Belfast abortion centre plans Belfast, : Claims that Marie Stopes International is to carry out abortions at a new centre in Belfast have been condemned by pro-life campaigners in Northern Ireland.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) www.spuc.org.uk said that it was irresponsible and crass for the abortion giant to suggest it would provide abortions at a newly established centre.
The procedure is only legal when there is a serious danger to the mother’s life. SPUC has twice taken Northern Ireland health department to court to force it to withdraw abortion guidelines, because they failed to reflect the law accurately.
The pro-life group was proved correct in its approach to the law on both occasions.
Liam Gibson, SPUC's development officer in the Province said: "The law here is clear. The Northern Ireland Assembly has jurisdiction over abortion, not Marie Stopes. And the people of Northern Ireland are not prepared to let the abortion industry change our law by breaking it. Abortion is not health care, it is a criminal offence. Only in extreme circumstances, when a woman's life is in danger, can it even be considered. Health officials and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) should explain why they think any doctor dealing with such a case should send a pregnant woman to a private, commercially-run campaign group’s abortion centre rather than offering her NHS hospital care. "Health officials and the RQIA are grossly abusing their power by suggesting that Marie Stopes will be offering ‘legal abortions’ at this centre", said Mr Gibson.
"Abortionists in Britain may be used to flouting the law by performing sex-selection abortions on baby girls and falsifying paperwork, but the pro-life people and politicians in Northern Ireland expect officials to ensure that the laws here protecting the right to life of unborn children will be enforced. It is deeply disturbing to see public officials adopting the role of promoting illegal abortion regardless of the law, as the Department of Health has done in England over many years", concluded Mr Gibson.
Liam Gibson, SPUC's Northern Ireland development officer, can be contacted on 07968 078773 or 028 9077 8018 or liamgibson@spuc.org.uk Notes for editors: Marie Stopes International (MSI) UK had an income of £145 million last year, mostly in fees and grants from government bodies (but also fees from clients) for abortion and other "sexual health services". MSI began advertising abortion on television in England in 2010, but stopped after advertising groups received a record number of objections and SPUC pointed out that the advertising was both grossly offensive and illegal.