Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020
Debate between Baroness Eaton and Lord McNicol of West Kilbride
Baroness Eaton (Con) [V]
My Lords, Regulation 3 allows abortion for any reason up to 12 weeks’ gestation with no exclusions. New tests are available that determine the child’s sex before 12 weeks; thus sex-selective abortion is now lawful in Northern Ireland. Last Monday, the Minister said:
“I make it clear … that the abortion regulations do not allow abortions on the grounds of sex selection.”—[Official Report, 8/6/20; col. 1626.]
Brett Lockhart QC has responded:
“I confess to being entirely unclear as to how one could legally have come to that opinion”.
Writing in ConservativeHome today, leading human rights activist Jasvinder Sanghera responded:
“Unless … there is a provision in the regulations currently held from sight by invisible ink, this assertion seems plainly wrong”.
She continued:
“The last thing we need now is for the Government to send the message that its resolve to address sex selective abortion is weakening and indeed, as far as Northern Ireland is concerned, evaporating.”
I will vote “Content” in favour of the amendment proposed by the noble Baroness, Lady O’Loan, and against the regulations.
The Deputy Speaker
The noble Lord, Lord Kilclooney, is not in the Chamber. I now call the noble Baroness, Lady Stroud.