Leading Tory women revolt against Theresa May over Northern Ireland abortion laws

[DonViejo]

Source: The Sunday Times




Irish abortion vote sparks demand for reform

Tim Shipman, Political Editor
May 27 2018, 12:00pm,
The Sunday Times

Theresa May is facing open revolt from senior Tory women over abortion after Ireland’s historic vote to lift a ban on terminations.

Penny Mordaunt, the women and equalities minister, and her four predecessors urged the prime minister to allow a free vote in parliament to reform Northern Ireland’s draconian abortion laws.

Mordaunt, the cabinet minister responsible, said yesterday that the landslide victory to legalise abortion in the Irish referendum should now bring change north of the border.

Downing Street fears that could destabilise the government by antagonising the socially conservative Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which May depends on for a Commons majority. DUP MP Ian Paisley said Northern Ireland “should not be bullied into accepting abortion on demand”.





Read more: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/leading-tory-women-revolt-against-may-0c9nbvgll

[bronxiteforever]

1. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) members are odious creatures

Anti evolution,anti women evangelical fundies.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. OMG

I thought Ian Paisley was still going strong. They should clarify that's his son, Ian Paisley, Jr. Because I remember the father ranting in the press in the 1960s.

[arithia]

3. translation- I need votes so screw women's rights

disgusting. just disgusting.

[riversedge]

5. T. May is acting like Trump does--screw women's rights for the Conservative votes.

[paleotn]

7. That's what conservatives do. All conservatives. Everywhere....

As always, it's about power with them. Individual rights are meaningless. Doing the right thing counts for nothing when it comes to retaining power. May is trying to placate Northern Ireland's DUP, which is just as psychotic as the American GOP. The Conservatives need them as partners to remain in the majority in Parliament. If she pisses them off, at best she's running a minority government, with limited power. At worst she and her government gets tossed on its ass. Blow back from her incredibly stupid, snap election last year continues.

[dlk]

4. God Forbid Women Control Their Own Bodies --What Would Come Next, Equal Rights?

[Liberalagogo]

6. Just replace the R word with whatever RW idiot party you want:

[T_i_B]

8. Good luck in getting that past the DUP!

The DUP are propping Theresa May's government up and forcing them to reform their abortion laws may have repercussions for Theresa May.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

9. Ian Paisley

When you grow a uterus, you can have a place in the conversation. Until then, shut your pie hole.

[meadowlander]

10. Yep. My go to advice for either sex:

If you don't like abortions, don't have one.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. FWIW, the most recent NI opinion poll I can find: 40% want reform of laws, 29% oppose

from last year:

Forty per cent of people in Northern Ireland support reforming the law on abortion here - compared to 29% who oppose changing it, a new opinion poll shows.

The findings will be welcomed by pro-choice campaigners who have long claimed that politicians are significantly out of touch with public opinion on the issue. Surprisingly, more DUP voters support liberalising abortion law (41%) than Sinn Fein supporters (32%).

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/poll-only-29-oppose-reform-of-abortion-laws-in-northern-ireland-35975596.html

And it's worth noting the head of Sinn Fein is pressing for change:

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill has said Northern Ireland is becoming a backwater in the absence of an Executive to legislate on language rights, abortion and same-sex marriage.

Speaking on ITV's Peston on Sunday programme, the party's leader in Northern Ireland was reflecting on the situation in the province in the wake of the Republic's vote to repeal the Eighth Amendment.
...
"In the absence of having institutions we have to find a way to deliver rights," she said.

"Because the north is becoming a backwater. The north is becoming a society where if you want language rights, if you want same-sex marriage, if you want women’s health being dealt with, we are being denied that because of political unionism’s position on a rights’ based society."

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-is-becoming-a-backwater-says-oneill-in-wake-of-abortion-vote-36950945.html