Abortion Debate

This issue was debated in the assembly 20th June 2000
This is what we had to say...

Mr David Ervine:

The Member who introduced the motion set the scene clearly for me when he described the foetus as "he, he, he." Of course, we just had had the balance restored when the foetus was described as "she, she, she."

Abortion is an extreme symptom of the failures in society. Convince me that we offer adequate sex education? Convince me that we offer availability and accessibility for people to understand not only the reproductive system, but the relationships they will have throughout their lives with members of the opposite sex?

Mrs Carson eloquently stated that the Dutch seem to be somewhat ahead of us on this matter. They made abortion freely available, and when they did so, what happened? Did lots of women dive at the opportunity of having the most brutal form of contraception � abortion? Indeed they did not. Actually, the figures dropped. As it has been quoted, they have the lowest figures in Europe and possibly even in the world.

The Dutch matched their action with bombarding their children with the understanding of how the rest of their lives would have to be lived. They took control of their own destiny and of understanding the importance of decisions they might make as children and how those decisions might affect them in the future. We have not done that. We have not remotely thought of doing it.

Those who are pro-life have a point � and I am not pro-abortion; I am pro-choice. They have, lying more deeply at their core, a desire for chastity and decency. I suppose they are reasonable aspirations, but just simply trying to get someone to cross their legs or keep their zip up does not seem to work.

In reality, there is an awful stinking, painful route that is travelled by people in our society � not just by women but by people. They are not women, they are people, they are equals, and, indeed, they are the majority. We sit here making decisions about their lives without one iota of the pain, sorrow or suffering that whatever decision they make in relation to abortion will blight the rest of their lives as they see it at that time. When they put their hands out like scales and try to make their decision, the moral arguments we create do not help them because there is right and wrong in each hand, or in each side of the balance. In many ways, they do not view it in terms of right or wrong or society�s moral values.

Essentially, it becomes an imperative for them. It is something they must do. The human being is faced, not only with trauma and difficulty, but then we heap upon them a degree of admonishment, bitterness and hatred. What I am hearing is that they are murderers. When we talk about murderers, what about Belgrade, which was recently pattern-bombed. What about Baghdad, which was just pattern-bombed, or Dresden, which was pattern-bombed in order to send a message loud and clear to Russia, or Hiroshima � when we devastated it.

We, the politicians, are the moral people who talk seriously about the ethics of the medical profession. Is this a joke, or what? Politicians who have consistently failed to bring peace to this society are admonishing those people who are trying to bring a better quality of life to our community. It just seems alien and incredible to me.

The arguments can all be emotional and I suppose I am getting emotional too, but the reality is that we all have choices to make as human beings. We would best be making those choices against the backdrop of having the capacity to do so. Perhaps then, people would not end up in the positions in which they find themselves, taking that awful route because they were not properly equipped.

I hear much said about the foetus, and I understand the arguments. Our party had to have two party conferences in order for me to be able to make a speech like this. In the last two years, 21 women have died as a result of domestic violence. The safe houses that society has to provide are packed to overcapacity as we speak, and there is not one word said about it. This male-dominated society is treating the majority like something it walked in on its heel, and that is not acceptable.

In 1982, when this issue was raised previously, it is my understanding � I dare say I will be corrected if I am wrong � one Member opposed the motion. More than one Member will oppose the motion today, and when it comes up again, as it surely will, more Members will oppose it. People are discriminated against by that evil awful Britain who killed 5 million, those with whom you want to be associated politically and socially, that murderous evil Britain will extend the act. The act will be extended eventually, and our people will be treated as equals. They will be given the same opportunity to have an abortion at the proper time, if one has to be had at all, and consequently, one would hope that the number of abortions would decrease rather than increase. But in reality what we are constantly doing is heaping pain and more pain on people who are incapable of taking that pain. There are many thousands of nameless people out there who have gone along that painful route. They will be listening today, and, unfortunately, unless we get our act together, there will be many thousands who will follow them. And what will we do? Will we make moral arguments that will make popes and moderators end up in the same camp?


The Assembly divided: Ayes 15; Noes 43.

AYES Gerry Adams, Eileen Bell, David Ervine, Michelle Gildernew, Billy Hutchinson, Gerry McHugh, Mitchel McLaughlin, Pat McNamee, Monica McWilliams, Francie Molloy, Jane Morrice, Conor Murphy, Mary Nelis, Dara O�Hagan, Sue Ramsey. [Tellers: Jane Morrice and Bill Hutchinson]

NOES Billy Armstrong, Alex Attwood, Roy Beggs, Paul Berry, Esmond Birnie, Norman Boyd, P J Bradley, Joe Byrne, Gregory Campbell, Mervyn Carrick, Seamus Close, Wilson Clyde, Robert Coulter, John Dallat, Ivan Davis, Nigel Dodds, Arthur Doherty, Sam Foster, Tommy Gallagher, Oliver Gibson, Denis Haughey, William Hay, Joe Hendron, Roger Hutchinson, Gardiner Kane, Danny Kennedy, Alban Maginness, Kieran McCarthy, Alasdair McDonnell, Maurice Morrow, Danny O�Connor, Eamonn ONeill, Ian Paisley Jnr, Ian R K Paisley, Edwin Poots, Mark Robinson, Peter Robinson, Patrick Roche, Jim Shannon, John Tierney, Denis Watson, Peter Weir, Cedric Wilson. [Tellers: Jim Wells and John Tierney]

Question accordingly negatived.
Main Question put and agreed to. Resolved:
That this Assembly is opposed to the extension of the Abortion Act 1967 to Northern Ireland.