‘Foetus has no human rights in NI’ Human Rights Fee confirms, as Meeting asks it to advise on safety of pregnancies with disabilities

The commission confirmed the details after the Assembly yesterday submitted an amendment to NI abortion legislation for consideration.

DUP MLA Paul Givan has proposed a bill to amend NI legislation to prevent abortions that are found to have non-fatal abnormalities such as Down syndrome. There is currently no time limit for such terminations.

However, the Alliance’s MLA, Paula Bradley, proposed forwarding the amendment to the Human Rights Commission – a move that was supported by the Congregation yesterday.

register to our daily newsletter

The i newsletter Cut through the noise

“/>Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw said her motion would create a welcome debate on both support for pregnant women and the stigma surrounding pregnancies with Down syndrome.

Speaking to the newsletter, the NIHRC said it was premature to comment on the DUP amendment. However, he confirmed that in such cases the fetus or unborn child has no right to life under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). .

NIRC found that the High Court dealt with the issue in 2015. The judge ruled: “While the fetus in Northern Ireland has no right to life under Article 2 (right to life), life before birth is protected here by certain laws … all rights that a fetus or unborn child has are inseparable from connected to the woman and not free-standing. “

Pro-life groups believe that NI Law does not provide direct protection to a fetus or unborn child, but only protects it as a by-product of protecting a woman from bodily harm or harm.

Liam Gibson of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said the ECHR allows individual states to pass their own abortion laws “and therefore refuses to defend the right to life recognized in Article 2 of the Convention when it comes to abortion”.

He added: “The human rights of the unborn child have been protected in the home [NI] Law until repealed by new laws in 2019 and 2020. “

Ms. Bradshaw said yesterday that it is important to examine how the bill is proposing to reconcile disability and gender equality issues.

“This motion is not a comment on the intent of the bill, which provides for a welcome discussion on how best to assist women in bringing babies to delivery, when available, as well as the urgent need to stop the perpetuation of stigma from disease like Down syndrome, ”reported PA.

“Rather, it is a request for clarity on how best to ensure that disability rights and gender equality are created and further developed within the framework of the same internationally recognized human rights in law and public order.”

However, TÜV boss Allister said their actions were “ironic”.

“It’s such a compelling irony when someone stands up in their home to stand up for human rights, to protect the death penalty in the womb,” he said.

“Any bill that comes to this House, especially one of this kind, will go to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to discuss its views as a consulate.

“So here we have a motion that demands that something be done that is bound to happen anyway. It really is so empty to bring such a movement. “

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request for you.

With coronavirus lockdowns having a huge impact on many of our advertisers – and consequently the revenue we generate – we depend on you to get a digital subscription more than ever.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and through our app. With a digital subscription you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster loading times and access exclusive newsletters and content. visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions Register now.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenue to support them. We can assist you in providing trustworthy, fact-checked content for this website.