Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SF abortion stance is all a question of trust
It may be a DUP proposal, but much of the criticism has been aimed at Sinn Fein. The republican party is in a bind over a Bill seeking to prevent abortion access in Northern Ireland in cases of non-fatal disabilities.
As the Bill reached Stormont’s health committee stage last week, Sinn Fein members all abstained.
Of course, the Bill is uncomfortable ground for other parties too. The SDLP also abstained, hindering its efforts to shed its socially conservative image among younger voters.
The DUP and UUP backed the Bill. The only two MLAS who opposed were from People Before Profit and the Alliance Party.
For Sinn Fein, a party that loudly proclaims its pro-choice credentials, its confusing stance has prompted criticism from campaigners on both sides of the abortion debate.
A councillor for anti-abortion party Aontu said Sinn Fein was in a “two-faced panic”, while People Before Profit added that, “Women in the North have been failed”.
Adding to the awkwardness, the vote fell on the anniversary of abortion being decriminalised in Northern Ireland by Westminster.
Fortunately for Sinn Fein this all slipped under the radar of most media outlets.
But the issue was brought back on to the news agenda this week when the Guardian reported Secretary of State Brandon Lewis could be set to take further steps to commission abortion services that have so far been blocked by the DUP.
Facing questions on RTE’S Morning Ireland programme, Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle O’neill checked off her key messages.
The Bill is a “futile” attempt by political unionism to “claw back on positive change”, she said.
However, Sinn Fein does not support abortion in cases of non-fatal foetal abnormality – and that position is consistent with the law and other main parties in the Republic.
But Ms O’neill appeared to dodge the question when asked if
Much of the criticism has been aimed at SF... the DUP Bill is shrewd
she believed abortion law reform introduced by Westminster “goes too far”. She responded: “No, I think we have, what I’ve said is we have a party position which is arrived at from all of our membership.
“It’s actually the position that’s also supported by all the main parties. It actually is the legal position in the 26 counties in the South as well so, I want to have the services commissioned.”
The DUP Bill is shrewd. Introduced by Paul Givan before he became First Minister, the Bill could have sought a wholesale rollback on the Westminster interventions. But that would have been much more easily brushed off by
Sinn Fein and others. Instead, aligning the law with the Republic has been difficult for opponents to grapple with.
The Bill has been criticised by supporters of abortion law reform.
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission warned the Bill is “incompatible” with the UK’S international obligations and could violate articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.
But it has been backed by some disability rights campaigners including Heidi Crowter who has Down’s syndrome. “Trust women” became a powerful slogan for activists during the Republic’s 2018 referendum campaign that brought about the liberalisation of abortion laws.
Sinn Fein proudly held placards bearing the phrase as it backed the Yes campaign. Following the result, Ms O’neill and party leader Mary Lou Mcdonald were photographed holding aloft the sign: “The North is next.”
But the party’s positioning on the DUP’S abortion Bill will lead many to conclude that in some difficult circumstances, Sinn Fein doesn’t trust women after all.