Written submission from Mr Philip McMenemy (ANI0375)

It would appear that this is another attempt to force through changes against the wishes of the majority within Northern Ireland. I live in Northern Ireland and have experienced the aftermath of abortion in people's lives. I believe the laws in Northern Ireland must be respected and government should not bypass local elected representatives as indicated in February of this year.

It would seem we have a burning desire to follow laws in America, despite the benefit of hindsight where not only were they created due to inaccurate information we can see that they are now just treated as another form of birth control. In Great Britain some 98% of abortions are carried out purely for social reasons. There has been roughly 9 million abortions in the UK since the 1967 act came into force. As a nation we are quick to speak out on human rights and in particular woman's rights and rightly so. We have lost the notion that it is the government's responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves. As a nation we should be concerned for the lives of the most vulnerable and there are none more so than the unborn child. We need to consider their needs as well as the needs of the mother. We need to consider their rights, the rights of the child and the responsibility of parents.

Abortion has nothing to do equality for women, a worthy desire that I endorse, but abortion is the biggest decision that will be made for a life who as yet has no say. The logical outworking of supporting abortion is for anyone to deem who is of value and who isn't, who should live and who shouldn't.

December 2018