MPs are being canvassed to back a plan to force through measures liberalising abortion in Northern Ireland, it has emerged.

A cross-party coalition has drawn up a proposal that would force Theresa May into taking action. Some of the most senior women in the Tory party are said to be supportive of the campaign following the landslide result in Ireland’s referendum in favour of ending its near total ban on abortion.

In a letter sent to all MPs seen by the Observer, the cross-party group calls on its colleagues to take a stand and explains that there is a clear constitutional path allowing the Westminster government to act. “Together we view this not as a partisan issue, but a matter for the conscience of all representatives,” the group writes. “By working in this way we want to show we can make progress on a matter of human rights for the benefit of all UK citizens.”

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It creates a political problem for May, who will have to balance support for reform among her own MPs with the risks involved in upsetting the DUP, which is against any change in Northern Ireland. The DUP’s 10 MPs are propping up her administration.



Some MPs want to force a Commons vote this week, as part of an emergency debate on Northern Ireland’s abortion laws. While that vote would not be binding on the government, it would show the prime minister that there is clear support among MPs for liberalising abortion laws in Northern Ireland.

The cross-party letter to MPs has been drawn up by Stella Creasy and Diana Johnson from Labour, Jo Swinson from the Lib Dems, Caroline Lucas from the Greens, Liz Saville Roberts from Plaid Cymru and Sarah Wollaston, the Tory chair of the Commons health select committee.

“We as a cross party group of parliamentarians call upon our colleagues to recognise the urgency and importance of reforming our outdated abortion laws to put the safety and dignity of all UK women first,” they write. “The situation in Northern Ireland has highlighted to many the need for action to ensure the safety of women. In particular, we are concerned at the unequal treatment of UK citizens, with women in Northern Ireland unable to access abortion even in instances of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality. The prosecution of young women for seeking terminations via taking misoprostol and the thousands who now buy these pills online and so risk their personal safety further reinforce the need for legislation that can address modern healthcare methods.

“We are also conscious of the clear evidence the people of Northern Ireland wish to see change; that they recognise the damage being done by these outdated laws and support reform across all faiths, political persuasions and age groups. Indeed, recent opinion polls show more than 70% agree that the issue of abortion is a matter for medical regulation – not criminal law.”

Their campaign is backed by the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign, Amnesty International, the Family Planning Association, Marie Stopes and National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service (Nupas).

The group of MPs believe they have found a way to force the government to intervene in Northern Ireland.

Q&A What is the law on abortion in Northern Ireland? Show Hide The 1967 Abortion Act which liberalised the law in England, Scotland and Wales never extended to Northern Ireland. The region permitted abortion only if a woman’s life was at risk or if there was a risk of permanent and serious damage to her mental or physical health. The story of Sarah Ewart, who travelled to England for an abortion after being told her baby would not survive outside the womb, galvanised change. The legislation brought in by Westminster, which takes effect on Tuesday, decriminalises abortion. After consultations, the UK government will have to put in place regulations for abortion services by next April; until then, women will be offered free transport and accommodation to access abortion services in England. In England, Scotland and Wales, the limit on abortions except in cases of fatal foetal abnormality or risk to life is 24 weeks. But anti-abortion campaigners in Northern Ireland claim that the change could mean abortion up to 28 weeks.

The Offences against the Person Act was written in 1861 and makes it a crime for any woman to cause her own abortion. However, the 1967 Abortion Act includes exemptions to women in England and Wales. The group believes they can force all parts of the UK to reconsider their abortion laws by repealing sections of the 1861 Act. “Far from overriding devolution, removing this archaic legislation from the statute creates the direct opportunity for each nation to update its abortion laws for the 21st century and so respects the devolutionary process,” they write. “We believe there is growing cross-party consensus that change in legislation is required to enable modern laws to be enacted.”

Creasy said: “The DUP keeps telling us that this isn’t a matter that should even be discussed in parliament, forgetting it’s UK-wide legislation which makes having an abortion a crime. It’s time to stand up for the rights of all women in the UK and show we’re prepared to act. [The DUP leader] Arlene Foster may have her seat at Theresa May’s table, but that doesn’t mean she gets to tell us what to do in Westminster, too.”