Pic:the DUP's leader Arlene Foster with Theresa May
Political reporter(wp/es):
A former Tory minister has suggested MPs could vote to reduce time limits on women having abortions after Theresa May struck a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party.
Owen Paterson opened the door on debating the 24 week time limit which is currently in place after the Conservatives entered an agreement to govern with the right-wing Northern Irish party the DUP.
Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland unless a woman’s life is in danger or there is a serious or permanent risk to her mental or physical health.
The DUP has a consistently anti-abortion stance and has repeatedly opposed attempts to legalise it. Last year, its leader Arlene Foster said: “I would not want abortion to be as freely available here as it is in England.”
Asked about the impact of Mrs May’s deal with the DUP Mr Paterson, who served as Northern Ireland Secretary from 2010 to 2012, said: “I don't see many major social issues coming up in the next parliament.
"You might get a debate I suppose on further reduction of abortion times as medical science advances.”
Addressing criticism of the DUP’s stance on gay rights, he said: “That is all devolved. It's not only a free vote issue, most of this, but it's nearly all devolved and that's down to the politicians in Northern Ireland to resolve."
Mrs May announced on Friday that she would govern in partnership with 10 DUP MPs sitting in Westminster after losing the Conservatives’ Commons majority in a humiliating snap election.
The decision was met with criticism almost immediately as abortion rights groups voiced fears over the DUP’s record on the issue.
Mrs May has previously backed the reduction of abortion time limits from 24 to 20 weeks, saying: “I think there is scope for some reduction.”
The London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign, which campaigns for legal abortion in Ireland and Northern Ireland, warned the PM about the agreement with the DUP.
“The DUP has consistently blocked any attempts to allow abortion even in limited circumstances,” the group told Newseek.
“They are out of step with the Conservative Party and the people of Britain on many moral and social issues, having also blocked attempts to legalise gay marriage in Northern Ireland. We urge Theresa May to think carefully before aligning herself with a party intent on undermining the human rights of Northern Irish women.”
Others have expressed fears over the DUP’s stance on gay rights.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said she has received assurances from the Prime Minister over gay rights should the Tories do a deal with the party.
Ms Davidson, who is gay, appeared to criticise the deal on Friday when she tweeted a link to a speech she made in favour of marriage equality, with the message: "As a Protestant Unionist about to marry an Irish Catholic, here's the Amnesty Pride lecture I gave in Belfast."
Ms Davidson, who became engaged to partner Jen Wilson in May 2016, later told the BBC: "I was fairly straightforward with her (Mrs May) and I told her that there were a number of things that count to me more than the party.
"One of them is country, one of the others is LGBTI rights.
"I asked for a categoric assurance that if any deal or scoping deal was done with the DUP there would be absolutely no rescission of LGBTI rights in the rest of the UK, in Great Britain, and that we would use any influence that we had to advance LGBTI rights in Northern Ireland
"It's an issue very close to my heart and one that I wanted categoric assurances from the prime minister on, and I received (them)."
Northern Ireland is the only part of the British Isles where same-sex marriage remains outlawed.
The DUP has repeatedly used a controversial Stormont voting mechanism - the petition of concern - to prevent the legalisation of same-sex marriage, despite a majority of MLAs supporting the move at the last vote.
