On 24 June, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland published its Manifesto for the upcoming 2024 General Election, to be held on 4 July.

Below are the key takeaways from the Manifesto in matters relating to pro-life issues:

Abortion

The DUP states that it is “unashamedly pro-life” and will continue to “oppose the radical abortion laws foisted on communities in Northern Ireland”.

The Manifesto pledges to “continue to support legislation and policies that affirm the value and dignity of all life. We do not believe prayer, including silent prayer, should be criminalised or regarded as anti-social behaviour…

“We will seek a review of Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023 and the impact of Public Space Protection Orders [buffer zones] on those who seek to reasonably express their pro-life beliefs in the public square.”

Assisted Suicide

“The DUP will continue to press for enhanced provision for families affected by terminal diagnoses. We will also firmly oppose efforts to legalise assisted suicide.”

Family Support

The Manifesto pledges to enact several policies that is says will help families in Northern Ireland, including:

“Increase the Tax-Free Childcare allowance from 20% to 35%.”

“Remove the cap on Tax Free Childcare (TFC) above £2,000.”

“Remove the two-child limit on Universal Credit for 3-and 4-child households.”

 “Scrap VAT on school uniforms.”

“Work with employers and HMRC to incentivise the Workplace Nursery Model in NI, including through removing unnecessary complexity.”

“Promote access to capital grants for businesses and employers seeking to establish workplace nursery sites.”

SPUC General Election Tool – Value your Vote

SPUC has created an online tool to help supporters and British citizens contact their Parliamentary candidates and ask them how they intend to vote on abortion and assisted suicide. It is vital that pro-life people use their vote to elect pro-life MPs. Every vote matters.

Click here to access the tool.