Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill — New Clause 10 — International Obligations — Abortion — Sexual and Reproductive Health — 9 Jul 2019 at 16:45

The majority of MPs voted to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland in a broad range of circumstances, to protect women from harassment by anti-abortion protesters, and to improve sexual and reproductive health rights and services, - all with a proviso that if a Northern Ireland Executive was formed by 21 October 2019 the new law would cease to have effect.

MPs were considering the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill[1].

The proposed new clause supported by a majority of MPs in this vote was titled: International obligations and stated:

The recommendations to be given effect were:

  • A.Legal and institutional framework
  • (a) Repeal sections 58 and 59 of the Offences against the Person Act, 1861, so that no criminal charges can be brought against women and girls who undergo abortion or against qualified health-care professionals and all others who provide and assist in the abortion;
  • (b) Adopt legislation to provide for expanded grounds to legalize abortion at least in the following cases:
  • (i) Threat to the pregnant woman’s physical or mental health, without conditionality of “long-term or permanent” effects;
  • (ii) Rape and incest;
  • (iii) Severe fetal impairment, including fatal fetal abnormality, without perpetuating stereotypes towards persons with disabilities and ensuring appropriate and ongoing support, social and financial, for women who decide to carry such pregnancies to term;
  • (c) Introduce, as an interim measure, a moratorium on the application of criminal laws concerning abortion and cease all related arrests, investigations and criminal prosecutions, including of women seeking post-abortion care and health-care professionals;
  • (d) Adopt evidence-based protocols for health-care professionals on providing legal abortions particularly on the grounds of physical and mental health and ensure continuous training on the protocols;
  • (e) Establish a mechanism to advance women ’ s rights, including through monitoring authorities ’ compliance with international standards concerning access to sexual and reproductive health, including access to safe abortions, and ensure enhanced coordination between the mechanism with the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission;
  • (f) Strengthen existing data-collection systems and data sharing between the Department and the police to address the phenomenon of self-induced abortion.
  • B.Sexual and reproductive health rights and services
  • (a) Provide non-biased, scientifically sound and rights-based counselling and information on sexual and reproductive health services, including on all methods of contraception and access to abortion;
  • (b) Ensure the accessibility and affordability of sexual and reproductive health services and products, including on safe and modern contraception, including oral, emergency, long-term and permanent forms of contraception, and adopt a protocol to facilitate access at pharmacies, clinics and hospitals;
  • (c) Provide women with access to high-quality abortion and post-abortion care in all public health facilities and adopt guidance on doctor-patient confidentiality in that area;
  • (d) Make age-appropriate, comprehensive and scientifically accurate education on sexual and reproductive health and rights a compulsory component of curriculum for adolescents, covering prevention of early pregnancy and access to abortion, and monitor its implementation;
  • (e) Intensify awareness-raising campaigns on sexual and reproductive health rights and services, including on access to modern contraception;
  • (f) Adopt a strategy to combat gender-based stereotypes regarding women’s primary role as mothers;
  • (g) Protect women from harassment by anti-abortion protesters by investigating complaints and prosecuting and punishing perpetrators.

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Debate in Parliament |

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Party Summary

Votes by party, red entries are votes against the majority for that party.

What is Tell? '+1 tell' means that in addition one member of that party was a teller for that division lobby.

What are Boths? An MP can vote both aye and no in the same division. The boths page explains this.

What is Turnout? This is measured against the total membership of the party at the time of the vote.

PartyMajority (Aye)Minority (No)BothTurnout
Con71 83149.7%
DUP0 8 (+2 tell)0100.0%
Green1 00100.0%
Independent15 1080.0%
Lab210 (+2 tell) 5087.9%
LDem10 0083.3%
PC4 00100.0%
SNP20 2062.9%
Total:331 99167.9%

Rebel Voters - sorted by party

MPs for which their vote in this division differed from the majority vote of their party. You can see all votes in this division, or every eligible MP who could have voted in this division

Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote

NameConstituencyPartyVote
Stuart AndrewPudseyCon (front bench)aye
Victoria AtkinsLouth and HorncastleCon (front bench)aye
Guto BebbAberconwywhilst Con (front bench)aye
Richard BenyonNewburywhilst Conaye
Crispin BluntReigateConaye
Andrew BowieWest Aberdeenshire and KincardineConaye
Alistair BurtNorth East Bedfordshirewhilst Conaye
Greg ClarkTunbridge Wellswhilst Con (front bench)aye
Kenneth ClarkeRushcliffewhilst Con (front bench)aye
Damian CollinsFolkestone and HytheCon (front bench)aye
Tracey CrouchChatham and AylesfordConaye
Mims DaviesEastleighCon (front bench)aye
Caroline DinenageGosportCon (front bench)aye
Jonathan DjanoglyHuntingdonCon (front bench)aye
Michael FabricantLichfieldCon (front bench)aye
Vicky FordChelmsfordCon (front bench)aye
Mike FreerFinchley and Golders GreenConaye
Mark GarnierWyre ForestConaye
Nusrat GhaniWealdenCon (front bench)aye
Michael GoveSurrey HeathCon (front bench)aye
Luke GrahamOchil and South PerthshireCon (front bench)aye
Richard GrahamGloucesterCon (front bench)aye
Justine GreeningPutneywhilst Conaye
Andrew GriffithsBurtonConaye
Sam GyimahEast Surreywhilst Con (front bench)aye
Robert HalfonHarlowCon (front bench)aye
Luke HallThornbury and YateCon (front bench)aye
Matthew HancockWest SuffolkCon (front bench)aye
Richard HarringtonWatfordwhilst Conaye
Trudy HarrisonCopelandCon (front bench)aye
Simon HartCarmarthen West and South PembrokeshireCon (front bench)aye
James HeappeyWellsConaye
Chris Heaton-HarrisDaventryConaye
Peter Heaton-JonesNorth DevonConaye
Nick HerbertArundel and South DownsConaye
Gillian KeeganChichesterCon (front bench)aye
Andrea LeadsomSouth NorthamptonshireConaye
Tim LoughtonEast Worthing and ShorehamCon (front bench)aye
Rachel MacleanRedditchConaye
Alan MakHavantConaye
Huw MerrimanBexhill and BattleCon (front bench)aye
Stephen MetcalfeSouth Basildon and East ThurrockCon (front bench)aye
Maria MillerBasingstokeCon (front bench)aye
Anne MiltonGuildfordwhilst Con (front bench)aye
Andrew MitchellSutton ColdfieldConaye
Penny MordauntPortsmouth NorthCon (front bench)aye
Nicky MorganLoughboroughCon (front bench)aye
David MundellDumfriesshire, Clydesdale and TweeddaleCon (front bench)aye
Sarah NewtonTruro and FalmouthConaye
Caroline NokesRomsey and Southampton Northwhilst Con (front bench)aye
Guy OppermanHexhamCon (front bench)aye
John PenroseWeston-Super-MareCon (front bench)aye
Andrew PercyBrigg and GooleConaye
Chris PhilpCroydon SouthConaye
Daniel PoulterCentral Suffolk and North IpswichCon (front bench)aye
Will QuinceColchesterCon (front bench)aye
Amber RuddHastings and Ryewhilst Con (front bench)aye
Antoinette SandbachEddisburywhilst Con (front bench)aye
Alec ShelbrookeElmet and RothwellConaye
Chris SkidmoreKingswoodCon (front bench)aye
Andrew StephensonPendleCon (front bench)aye
Bob StewartBeckenhamCon (front bench)aye
Julian SturdyYork OuterCon (front bench)aye
Justin TomlinsonNorth SwindonCon (front bench)aye
Elizabeth TrussSouth West NorfolkCon (front bench)aye
Thomas TugendhatTonbridge and MallingCon (front bench)aye
Ed VaizeyWantagewhilst Con (front bench)aye
Matt WarmanBoston and SkegnessConaye
Giles WatlingClactonCon (front bench)aye
Helen WhatelyFaversham and Mid KentCon (front bench)aye
Nadhim ZahawiStratford-on-AvonCon (front bench)aye
Nigel MillsAmber ValleyCon (front bench)both
Rosie CooperWest LancashireLab (minister)no
Helen JonesWarrington NorthLab (minister)no
Mike KaneWythenshawe and Sale EastLab (minister)no
Rachael MaskellYork CentralLab (minister)no
Steve PoundEaling NorthLab (minister)no
Lisa CameronEast Kilbride, Strathaven and LesmahagowSNP (front bench)no
Peter GrantGlenrothesSNP (front bench)no

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