By Susan Gately - 18 April, 2015
A Northern Ireland pro life agency has appealed to voters in Northern Ireland to vote pro life in the coming British general election.
Launching its ‘Every Life Counts’ campaign, Precious Life has appealed to voters to get informed about the political candidates who will “not only uphold the rights of unborn children in Northern Ireland, but will also be a voice for the unborn child at Westminster Parliament.”
The Agency has printed thousands of leaflets which outline each political party’s position on abortion.
It has also called on voters to make Friday 1 May a red letter day for unborn children by approaching political candidates that day in person, by phone or email or through social media to ask them one question: ‘If elected, will you defend the right to life of all unborn children?’
“If they cannot guarantee this, they cannot be considered suitable candidates for Westminster, no matter how appealing their other policies may be,” said Bernadette Smyth from Precious Life.
“Without the right to life, all other political promises are meaningless.”
According to Precious Life, the Northern Ireland political parties stances on abortion are as follows:
SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC AND LABOUR PARTY: opposed to abortion. Party leader, Alasdair McDonnell, says the SDLP is unequivocally opposed to abortion, including in cases of ‘fatal foetal abnormality’ and in cases of rape and incest.
DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST PARTY: opposed to abortion and have promised that they will resist any attempt to liberalise the law on abortion in Europe, Westminster and Stormont.
ULSTER UNIONIST PARTY: divided on abortion. Some members are pro-life and some are pro abortion.
ALLIANCE: Party leader, David Ford, who is currently Stormont Justice Minister, has formally recommended changes to abortion laws in Northern Ireland to allow abortion for ‘fatal foetal abnormality’.
GREEN PARTY: The Green Party supports the introduction of abortion on demand in Northern Ireland right up to birth.
SINN FÉIN: Supports abortion in cases of rape and incest. At its recent Ard Fheis, they updated their policy to include abortion in cases of ‘fatal foetal abnormality’ right up to birth.
TRADITIONAL UNIONIST VOICE: The TUV is opposed to abortion. Party leader, Jim Allister, said he would oppose David Ford’s proposals to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland in cases of ‘fatal foetal abnormality and sexual crime’.
UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY NI: Abortion is a matter of individual conscience for members.
“We are calling on the electorate to ‘make your vote count for unborn children’. We must be actively vigilant in using our vote and our voice on Thursday 7 May to elect political candidates who can guarantee that they will stand up and protect our unborn children,” said Bernadette Smyth, director of Precious Life.
