Washington D.C., Jul 19, 2019 / 23:00 pm
The British Parliament is imposing its will on the citizens of Northern Ireland by passing legislation decriminalizing abortion there, one Catholic lawmaker says.
"We know that the last vote to be held in the United Kingdom in any of the jurisdictions was in Northern Ireland, where they said they didn't want these laws," David Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool, an independent member of the House of Lords and a Catholic, told CNA on Thursday.
"But they have been imposed by the metropolitan classes at Westminster, over and above the beliefs of the people of Northern Ireland."
The Northern Ireland Assembly in 2016 successfully opposed legal abortion, but because the assembly is currently not functional due to a dispute between its two major political parties, the British Parliament has passed an Executive Formation bill meant to serve as a temporary legislative replacement. It will take effect if the Assembly is not functional by October 21. The legislation includes amendments legalizing abortion and same-sex marriage.