MPs stage fresh attempt to allow abortions in Northern Ireland

Pro-choice MPs are to stage a fresh attempt to relax abortion laws in Northern Ireland.

They are plotting to hijack the Government's controversial new laws on embryo research to force a Commons vote.

Their proposal would give women in the province the right to terminations on demand on the NHS.

Currently, abortion is allowed only if there is evidence of a threat to the mother's life, meaning more than 1,000 women travel to the mainland each year to pay to have the procedure privately.

'When it comes to abortion rights, Northern Ireland women are effectively second-class citizens,' said Labour MP Diane Abbott, who is behind the move.

She claimed there was a 'very good chance' of success of extending the 1967 Abortion Act, which covers the rest of the UK, to Northern Ireland.

However, the campaign will run into fierce opposition from Ulster and pro-life MPs.

The move may also cause Gordon Brown a headache because it is claimed he assured Democratic Unionist MPs that abortion laws would not be changed, in return for them supporting 42-day detention for terror suspects.

Abortion will be top of the political agenda when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill is due back in the Commons in October.

Attempts by pro-life MPs to lower the legal limit for abortion from the current 24 weeks to 20 were defeated in May by a Commons majority of 71.

Buoyed by the size of the victory, pro-choice MPs are attempting to liberalise the law still further. They want to allow nurses to carry out early-stage terminations, reduce the requirement for two doctors' signatures approving an abortion to one, and let women have medical abortions at home alone.

The Bill was due to pass its final stages before the summer recess but it was pulled at the last minute to allow more time for debate on abortion issues, on which MPs will have a free vote.

However, the leaders of the main political parties in Northern Ireland have written to Westminster MPs stating their opposition to a change in the law.

DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said the move was 'dangerous and divisive', adding: 'The reason why the law is different in Northern Ireland is because that is what the people of Northern Ireland want.

'We will be vigorously opposing any move to override the wishes of the people of Northern Ireland.'

Leader of the nationalist SDLP Mark Durkan said: 'The SDLP, with full democratic conscience, will do everything we can to oppose these plans and will do so on behalf of the people who have elected us and on behalf of those human beings who can be saved if we can effectively curb and hold back the extension of this Act.'

He added: 'In doing so, we will be seeking to maintain and preserve the fundamental integrity of humanity which goes to the heart of human values and the protection of life.'

Anti-abortion campaigners say evidence points to the fact that relaxing the law will trigger a surge in terminations. The number carried out in Britain each year would rise from just under 200,000 to more than 250,000.

They argue, however, that stricter safeguards similar to those used elsewhere in Europe, such as a 'cooling-off' period and pre-operation counselling, could see the annual total fall to around 135,000.