The United Bigots of the Northern Ireland Assembly'

Date: Tue, 2000-09-19 15:57

When the 'Northern Ireland Assembly' discussed the issue of abortion in June, the prospect of denying rights to women united politicians right across the so-called 'religious divide'. The Democratic Unionist Party proposed a motion to prevent the extension of the 1967 Abortion Act to the 6 Counties. The SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party!!) imposed a party whip in favour of the motion. The Alliance Party's deputy leader went so far as to describe the prospect of a woman who had been raped having access to abortion as being akin to a return to "terrorist violence". Sinn Féin's Health Minister Bairbre De Brun didn't even manage to make it into the chamber for the debate.

The Women's Coalition's Monica McWilliams could only talk about "confusion" and "divisiveness", arguing to refer the issue to a committee. A case of a United Ireland of Bigots??

This article is from Workers Solidarity 60 - September 2000