CNA Staff, Mar 26, 2020 / 01:01 pm (CNA).- The British government has published its legal framework for abortion services in Northern Ireland, which will come into force March 31. It allows for elective abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
“Our guiding principles for this framework are to uphold the protection of women and girls, the promotion of their health and safety, and the provision of clarity and certainty for the healthcare profession, while being responsive and sensitive to the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly being back up and running,” read a foreward to the framework written by Robin Walker, Minister of State for Northern Ireland.
The Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020 also allow abortions up to 24 weeks “in cases where the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or girl, greater than the risk of terminating the pregnancy.”
Abortion access will be permitted with no time limit in cases of severe fetal impairment and fatal fetal abnormalities, i.e. when “there is a substantial risk that the condition of the fetus is such that the death of the fetus is likely before, during or shortly after birth; or if the child were born, it would suffer from such physical or mental impairment as to be seriously disabled,” and when “there is a risk to the life of the woman or girl, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, or where necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or girl, including in cases of immediate necessity.”
Doctors, registered nurses, and registered midwives will be allowed to perform abortions. They will be able to do so at General Practitioners premises, and Health and Social Care clinics and hospitals. The Northern Ireland Health Minister will be able to approve further locations for medical abortions.
In elective abortions or in cases of immediate necessity where there is a risk to the life of the mother, only one medical professional is needed to certify that there are lawful grounds for abortion. For abortion on other grounds, two medical professionals must make the certification.
In England, Wales, and Scotland, two medical professionals must certify in all cases that there were lawful grounds for abortion. While consulting on the framework, the government noted that only one doctor’s certification might be appropriate in Northern Ireland, “as it is likely that there will be a more significant number of people raising conscientious objections than in other parts of the UK. This could create practical difficulties, in particular delays in women accessing termination services, if two medical professionals … are required to certify the grounds for an abortion.”
Northern Ireland’s conscientious objection provisions will mirror those of the Abortion Act 1967, which legalized abortion in England, Wales, and Scotland. Under the provisions, “no person shall be under any duty, whether by contract or by any statutory or other legal requirement, to participate in any treatment authorised by the Regulations to which the person has a conscientious objection. The only exception will be where the participation in treatment is necessary to save the life or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of a pregnant woman or girl.”
Conscientious objection will not be extended to “ancillary, administrative and managerial tasks that might be associated” with abortions.
The government wrote that “broadening the scope ‘beyond the participation in treatment’ would have consequences on a practical level and would therefore undermine the effective provision of abortion services in Northern Ireland. For example, fewer people providing ancillary services in relation to abortion could result in fewer appointments and longer waiting times, creating de facto barriers to access, and almost certainly adversely impacting the quality of care and standard of services. The Government is satisfied that the current scope of the conscientious objection provision in the Abortion Act 1967 works satisfactorily in practice, is human rights compliant, and is therefore appropriate to apply in Northern Ireland to the provision of abortion services.
Performing an illegal abortion will be a criminal offense punishable with a fine of up to GBP 5,000 ($6,070), and intentional failure to comply with certification and notification will be punishable with a fine of up to GBP 2,500 ($3,035). These will not apply to the mother, or anyone acting in good faith to save the mother’s life or to prevent grave permanent injurty to her health.
Buffer zones will not be set up around locations where abortions are procured, barring protest in the locations’ immediate vicinity. The government has decided to wait and see what the situation will be, keeping the matter under review so it can “respond to any challenges as needed at the time.”
The new framework was adopted to implement to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019, which decriminalized abortion in Northern Ireland and placed a moratorium on abortion-related criminal prosecutions, and obliged the UK government to create legal access to abortion in the region by March 31.
It was passed while the Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended, though the legislature resumed meeting in January.
Prior to the NI EF Act abortion was legally permitted in the region only if the mother’s life was at risk or if there was risk of long term or permanent, serious damage to her mental or physical health.
Walker wrote in his foreword that despite the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly, “the Government remains under a legal duty under section 9 of NI EF Act, and that the government “understands the strength of feeling on this issue and we have always been clear that the best way of bringing forward reform in this area would have been for the Executive and Assembly to take this forward, in the best interests of Northern Ireland.”
The framework was adopted following a consultation in November and December 2019 which asked 15 questions regarding particularities of how legal abortion provision should be made in Northern Ireland. The consultation was based on a proposed framework.
More than 21,200 responses to the consultation were received. Of the responses, 79% “expressed a view registering their general opposition to any abortion provision in Northern Ireland beyond that which is currently permitted.”
“The Government appreciates the wide range of consultation responses received and we are extremely thankful to all individuals and organisations who took the time to respond,” Walker wrote. “We also recognise that there are a wide range views on these sensitive policy issues, which we have carefully considered and sought to ensure are appropriately reflected in the Government’s response to the consultation.”
He said that “in considering the consultation responses, we have sought to balance the range of views against our legal obligations, and taken pragmatic decisions informed by evidence, in order to bring forward a new legislative framework that will be operationally sound, that works best for Northern Ireland and that delivers on the Government’s duty.”
The government said it “particularly reflected” on the consultations provided by “respondents with experience or expertise in terms of operational workability and proper access to services on the ground in Northern Ireland.”
The adopted framework closely mirrors the proposed framework.
The 12 week limit for elective abortions was adopted “to allow access for victims of sexual crime (i.e. rape and incest)” and because, the government said, “introducing a framework which creates barriers to access is unlikely to reduce the rate of terminations, but would rather be likely to lead to women buying abortion pills online, unlawfully, with attendant health risks, rather than accessing safe services.”
Many of the provisions were adopted to be in line with existing law in England, Wales, and Scotland.
Carla Lockhart, a newly-elected MP for a Northern Irish constituency who is a member of the Democratic Unionist Party, said the adopted framework “ignores the devolution settlement and the overwhelming viewpoint of the Northern Ireland people.”
Northern Ireland rejected the Abortion Act 1967, and bills to legalize abortion in cases of fatal fetal abnormality, rape, or incest failed in the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2016.
The amendment to the NI EF Act obliging the government to provide for legal abortion in Northern Ireland was introduced by Stella Creasy, a Labour MP who represents a London constituency.
In October 2019, the High Court in Belfast had ruled that the region’s ban on the abortion of unborn children with fatal abnormalities violated the UK’s human rights commitments.
Northern Irish women have been able to procure free National Health Service abortions in England, Scotland, and Wales since November 2017.
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[Pope Francis speaks of Europe as having a “spiritual patrimony” that needs communicating to Europeans themselves with “passion and a renewed freshness.”]
The blame is to be put on the European bishops, including the current bishop of Rome.
Cannot disagree with that.
Or as Robert Royale recounts the quip from the Russian mystic Soloviev: “Man is descended from monkeys, therefore let us love one another.”
He can’t be taken seriously.
The French Revolution was the death knell of Monarchical Europe to Govt by plebiscite. It was the prototype of the Bolshevik Revolution. The former deeply influenced by Rousseau’s secular idealism [Robespierre kept the Emile under his pillow] created the contemporary irreligious self sufficient independent European. The historically selective House of European History. Licence Egalitarianism Prejudice have replaced Liberty Equality Fraternity. Catholics in similarity to Robespierre’s Reign of Terror premise that “All citoeyens have equal rights, but not all are citoeyens” are today’s non citoeyen victims of the new Reign of secular humanist terror. European secularists should ask whether the concepts liberty equality fraternity existed anywhere prior to the advent of Christianity. They’re concepts borrowed from Christianity. Karl Marx atheist and opponent of God did likewise. Hijacked Christ’s teachings on sharing goods, fraternity, equal justice and secularized them shifting worship of Deity to worship of the materialistic state. The men occupying The House of European History are perhaps worse. Because the underlying premise of secular humanism is self deification. And if one presumes himself a deity the’re are no limits to his depravity.
The picture shows a bleak looking building reminiscent of Soviet style architecture.
Sadly this HEH project looks like an exercise in vanity and self delusion by EU social engineers and at a cost of £137m doesn’t seem good value for money.
A contrived history that has a year zero of 1946 deserves a limited future
The European project is looking more and more like a modern Tower of Babel, where secular Europe is trying to make a name, a shem, for themselves.
I think it is clear that the classic oath for witnesses in the courtroom says it all: “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” This is based on the fact that leaving out part of the truth can lead to the triumph of a lie, and this is precisely the purpose of the Father of Lies and his mislead slaves. That is why in this hundredth anniversary of Fatima, it is worth remembering that is spite of all this, Our Lady did promise that her Immaculate Heart would triumph. Let’s give her a hand with prayer rather than watching on the sidelines as passive spectators of history.
When a man is not enthralled by Christ, he is incapable of being passionate about Christianity.
Take for example Pope F’s favorite theologian the “retired” Cdl. Kasper, who has for his entire “ministry” denied the miracles of Christ testified in the Gospels. (Kasper, Jesus the Christ, 1st Ed 1976; 2nd ed. 2011.)
Kasper is “theology on its knees” says Francis.
Given the extent of Kasper’s “passion” for Christ, one might not wonder why German Catholics don’t “bother” going to Mass. I mean – it’s not like Jesus could command the wind and sea or something.
Kasper is “theology on its knees”? Said by a Pope who refuses to kneel during consecration.
That is impossible to hide. Christianity was Europe’s foundation.
if the decline in the birthrate does not inform catholics, especially bishops, that the faith is disappearing, nothing will. unless and until the bishops once again champion humanae vitae and effectively explain its importance, the faith will not revitalize.
it is kind of like here in america where the concept of modesty in dress by women is no longer taught. explaining the lack of charity in immodest dress is an elemental aspect of following Jesus. but now, even at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, many women dress in sexually provocative ways. such dress is extremely uncharitable and i have concluded that our priests and catholic schools are failing to give our young women an adequate understanding of both human sexuality and christian charity.
Immodesty is also infantile.
Modesty is adult behavior.
I once had to explain this to a young lady who was protesting that insisting on modesty was treating “young adults” like children.
I had to explain that we dress children modestly not because we are modeling childhood behavior, but we are modeling adult behavior for them.
It is only the “global Kim Kardashian cult” that believes that profaning your own body is a mark of “adulthood.”
Sort of like the meaning of “adult” as used by porno marketing.
The “House” itself is an ugly manifestation of the decadence of the present European elites and also the masses. The European elites deem to be falling head over heels over Islam, which intends to wipe them out.
If all comments are moderated, why are many of them Pope bashing?
Telling the truth about this disastrous papacy is not “Pope bashing.” It is simply telling the truth.
Not surprising they are erasing religion. The EU started by erasing recognizable historical buildings, many with religious connections, when the for printed the common currency. Instead they placed soulless, generic creations as a sign of unity. It would appear that descent into the new paganism should also be a act of unity.
Lol, you guys really are vying for world domination. That’s straight up supervillain stuff. Maybe you guys should, y’know, chill? Stop attacking literally everyone who doesn’t bow to your silly little superstitions? Just a thought. Otherwise you’ll continue to be removed from society. Just how it is. Nobody likes bullies.