www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/may-gives-personal-support-to-relaxing-northern-irish-abortion-law-hd892sqnz
Theresa May gives personal support to relaxing Northern Irish abortion law
And
www.politicshome.com/news/uk/social-affairs/welfare/news/95716/tory-mps-wont-be-ordered-oppose-northern-ireland-abortion
Tory MPs won't be ordered to oppose Northern Ireland abortion shake-up, minister confirms
Speaking in an emergency debate on the issue secured by Labour backbencher Stella Creasy, Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley confirmed that the Government - which relies on the support of Northern Ireland's traditionalist Democratic Unionist Party to get is programme through the Commons - would give MPs a free vote on any future attempt to overhaul abortion laws.
"This is a matter of conscience," she said. "A free vote on this issue in this House would be afforded if the matter of abortion comes before the House again, and the same applies in Northern Ireland."
But the minister, who said she was "personally" in favour of reform, also appeared to rule out any specific government proposal, batting away calls from Ms Creasy to scrap the 1861 Offences Against the Persons Act, which makes it illegal for pregnant women in Northern Ireland to get an abortion in most circumstances.
Ms Bradley said: "The Government, like its predecessors, believes that the best forum to debate and resolve these and many other matters is in the locally-elected Northern Ireland assembly.
And the but is a big but
Stormont was in breech of an EHCR ruling that said NI was in breech of human rights on the issue of abortion. They were ordered to change the law accordingly.
But since all the membership of all the major parties in NI are dominated by religious zealots, they sat on their hands and pretty much all refused to do anything, despite public opinion being in favour of reform.
And now it appears we have a national government and PM saying 'oh well we think reform needs to be done, but we aren't going to do anything about it because it should be down to the northern Ireland assembly to represent their own people'.
So they too are sitting on their hands, despite having the ability to do something. Their excuse that it should be in the hands of the people of NI is horseshit.
It neglects the minor point that a) the will of the people of NI is deemed irrelevant by Stormont on this matter b) both nationalists and unionists didn't want to change the law then and they still won't want to even if Stormont was reconvened and c) stormont was in breech of a ECHR ruling on human rights d) stormont is currently banjaxed so in theory the UK government itself is responsible for the breech of the ECHR ruling e) the DUP has no interest in restoring Stormont f) neither does the conservative party
Thus Theresa May and the Conservatives can say as they see fit (to please English liberal voters), and the DUP can say all the religious pro-life nonsense they like.
Both safe in the knowledge and with a probable agreement that it's safe to do so with no political consequences because they are happy with the suspension of Stormont (especially in the context of Brexit).
It's an appalling manipulation of the situation.
And neither really give a shit about women. And they know that English voters don't give a shit about NI.
Meaningless bullshit, Labour should rip the shreds off them with.
Except they won't. Cos Corbyn rather likes the current situation (limits the difficult questions over Brexit after all) and I suspect would ultimately love anything that might undermine the union and lead to a united Ireland. To hell with how that affects anyone in NI in the interim.
Fucking bastards the lot of them.