Westminster politicians are not qualified to change abortion laws for Northern Ireland, the region's Secretary of State has said. Karen Bradley insisted that people in Northern Ireland do not want MPs making decisions on whether to overhaul the existing regime, as she explained the Government's reluctance to intervene on the contentious social issue. The Government is facing mounting pressure to reform abortion laws in Northern Ireland after Supreme Court judges said they were incompatible with human rights legislation. Unlike other parts of the UK, the 1967 Abortion Act does not extend to Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly voted in February 2016 against legalising abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and rape or incest.

Source: Evening echo June 11, 2018 16:52 UTC