Belfast High Court hears abortion arguments
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission wants to take away the life of disabled unborn children, a High Court judge has heard.
Attorney General John Larkin QC said it would be wrong and contrary to human rights legislation to relax the near total ban on terminations in the region.
Mr Larkin said: “The Human Rights Commission want to take away the right to life of disabled unborn children. Not only is this wrong it is also inconsistent with UNCRPD (UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities).”
The comments were made during the third day of a judicial review before Mr Justice Mark Horner at Belfast High Court.
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) is seeking to legalise abortion in cases of serious foetal malformation, rape and incest.
The 1967 Abortion Act does not extend to the North, and termination of pregnancy is only permitted if a woman’s life is at risk of if there is a permanent or serious risk to her mental or physical health.
Anyone who unlawfully carries out an abortion could be jailed for life.
Following a public consultation, the Department of Justice (DoJ) has recommended abortion be legalised in cases of lethal foetal abnormality but the consultation paper did not make any recommendations in cases of sexual crime.
The NIHRC has argued that the consultation does not go far enough and said legal proceedings were launched as a last resort because forcing women and girls to travel for abortion services was cruel and inhuman.
It was also claimed that the Stormont politicians had failed to deal with the issue because it was too controversial.
The Catholic Church is also represented in the case and has opposed any changes to the current laws.
Brett Lockhart QC, counsel for the Northern Bishops, said no one could fail to be moved by the experiences of women like Sarah Ewart, who had to travel to England for an abortion in 2013 after being told her baby had no chance of survival.
But, the barrister claimed there was no difference between a “life limiting condition” and a baby diagnosed with Downs Syndrome or cystic fibrosis.
He warned that a law change could “open the floodgates for every type of disability”.
“We submit that abortion is not the answer,” said Mr Lockhart.
