article: A fatal foetal abnormality diagnosis means doctors believe an unborn child has a terminal condition and will die in the womb or shortly after birth. The proposal to allow abortion in such cases was defeated by 59 votes to 40. The result followed a passionate debate at Stormont after some MLAs proposed the law change be introduced by way of an amendment to the Justice Bill. Unlike other parts of the UK, the 1967 Abortion Act does not extend to Northern Ireland. Currently, a termination is only permitted in Northern Ireland if a woman's life is at risk or if there is a risk of permanent and serious damage to her mental or physical health. Politicians have been lobbied to reform the law since 2013, when Northern Ireland woman Sarah Ewart spoke out about having to travel to Great Britain for an abortion after she was told she was carrying a baby that had no chance of survival. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) faced criticism from other parties during Wednesday's debate for asking the Health Minister Simon Hamilton to set up a working group to examine the issues raised by fatal foetal abnormality. It could take six months for the group to complete its work and the Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt claimed it was a DUP "device" to delay decision making on abortion reform until after May's assembly election. Justice Minister David Ford, who brought forward the proposed change to the legislation, told Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show it could now remain in limbo for some time. "It would appear that that is what some people want, that it was any excuse at all to avoid taking a decision last night so they can fudge the issue," he said. "We will wait and see what happens to the DUP's supposed working group for the next six months. Certainly, we'll get the DUP past the election, maybe that's why they're doing it." However, the DUP has argued that the issue required proper consideration by MLAs and ministers and that the Justice Bill was not intended for this purpose. The amendment to legalise abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality was proposed by Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson. He told MLAs: "If we are to continue to fail women in Northern Ireland in this area then we are abdicating our duties as representatives. "The traumatic journey to England for many young women is becoming a shame on Northern Ireland and to force women with a fatal foetal pregnancy to look elsewhere for help and support make this worse." The amendment relating to pregnancies which are the result of rape or incest was put forward by Anna Lo, also of the Alliance Party, and was defeated by by 64 votes to 30. Mr Nesbitt said that as a man he did not feel comfortable "discussing what a woman should do with her body" but he added that MLAs had a responsibility to legislate. He claimed the DUP's request for a commission was a delaying tactic designed to "kick the decision to the far side of
summary: Northern Ireland Assembly members have voted against legalising abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.