On 28th May 2021, the House of Lords debated a motion to pass the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021. Votes were held on amendments to the motion, in which Bishops took part.
Votes: Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021
Tag: Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021
Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021: Bishop of Carlisle raises issues of devolution and stipulations on foetal disability
On 28th April 2021, the Bishop of Carlisle spoke in opposition to the passage of the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations, citing the issue of devolution and the inclusion in the regulations of the legalisation of abortion in cases of severe foetal impairment:
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, we are all aware of the sensitivities surrounding abortion, as the noble Viscount, Lord Younger, has observed, and also of the wide range of deeply held views that it provokes. However, whatever our own particular standpoint on abortion per se, which is, as the House has been reminded, now legal in Northern Ireland, there are two specific aspects of these regulations which must be of general concern. One has to do with devolution, as we have already been reminded. To quote from a recent statement issued by the Archbishop of Armagh:
“It is a matter of regret that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland intends to seek powers from Parliament to give direction to the Department of Health in Northern Ireland around what is clearly a devolved matter.”
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