SPUC is calling on healthcare workers in Northern Ireland to “dedicate themselves to preserving the lives of unborn children by refusing to participate in abortion.” The call comes as the Northern Ireland Department of Health released abortion figures for the 2019-2020 period.

Reacting to the release of the figures, Liam Gibson, SPUC’s Northern Ireland Political Officer said: “Sadly, the 22 babies killed by abortion in Northern Ireland is only the tip of the iceberg. These figures do not reflect last year’s radical legislative changes which the London government imposed on the Province. Since then, unborn children were stripped of all meaningful legal protection. In 2019 over 1000 children from Northern Ireland were killed in abortion facilities in Britain and this number is set to increase dramatically in the figures for 2020.

“We are continually being reminded of the need to protect the NHS and to save lives by slowing the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Yet the NHS, which was once dedicated to saving lives, is now responsible for the deaths of more than 200,000 children in the UK every year, more than 500 every day.

“Abortion is not healthcare. It is an act of lethal violence against an innocent child. Under the London government’s legislation babies can be aborted for any reason and in many cases even up to birth. We are calling for doctors, nurses, midwives and all healthcare workers in Northern Ireland to protect the founding values of the NHS and save the lives of unborn children by refusing to take part in abortions ,” said Mr Gibson.