91Èȱ¬

Back in May there was a lot of talk about a possible amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill which would extend the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland. At the time the Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris told me it was not a subject he was dealing with. However now Dr Harris has put his name, alongside Diane Abbott and four other MPs, to an amendment

Given the ill feeling felt by some English MPs towards the DUP over its support for the 42 day detention of terror suspects and it will be fascinating to watch how this unfolds in the Commons in the autumn. Both the DUP and the SDLP have already made it clear they will oppose the amendment.

Shaun Woodward and Gordon Brown have assured the leaders of the four main parties that the government will not back the move, but as Diane Abbott told the 91Èȱ¬'s "Talkback" programme it will be a matter for MPs' consciences. Jeffrey Donaldson told the same programme that if MPs imposed abortion on NI over the heads of the local parties it would call the purpose of the Stormont assembly into question. However if the local parties had hurried up and agreed the devolution of justice then they might not have found themselves in this situation as it's my understanding that legislation on abortion would then pass to Stormont.

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