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Historic vote could legalize abortion and same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland


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https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/10/health/northern-ireland-abortion-same-sex-marriage-reform-gbr-intl/index.html

 

Quote

The UK parliament has voted to legalize same-sex marriages and to extend access to abortion services in Northern Ireland, in two historic measures that could bring the region's current laws into line with the rest of the UK.

 

Lawmakers in London overwhelmingly voted by 383 votes to 73 in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, and 332 to 99 in favor of abortion reform.


Northern Ireland currently has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, with the procedure carrying maximum sentences of life imprisonment, even in cases of rape, incest and fatal fetal abnormality.


While the 1967 Abortion Act broadly legalized the procedure throughout the rest of the UK (England, Scotland and Wales), it has never been extended to Northern Ireland, where an 1861 law still holds.


Decisions on abortion law have historically been the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which has a special devolved status from the rest of the UK government.


That power-sharing arrangement means nationalists and unionists in the region must work together, with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister leading the executive.

 

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