By Tony O'Riley-
MPs have voted to legalize same-sex marriage and abortion legal in Northern Ireland, by a wide margin.
By a margin of 383 to 73 the Commons backed an amendment demanding the province be brought into line with the rest of the UK by October 21 – unless Stormont returns and decides otherwise. Mps also supported a move to liberalize abortion laws by 352 to 99 in another crucial vote.
The sudden vote and outcome comes after The Eye Of Media.Com only last week, announced the beginning of a process to engage both Northern Ireland and Alabama about their draconian laws on abortion which are very insensitive to some of the traumatic experiences of women in both Northern Ireland and Alabama. The vote has angered the DUP, who have accused Mps of abusing the impasse at Stormont to impose Westminster’s will. The dramatic move will cause uproar in the DUP party and attract resistance from staunch Irish Catholics who are strongly anti-abortion and against same sex marriage.
Celebrating the outcome, St Helens North MP said:
‘This House has failed LGBT people in Northern Ireland before.After the success of the amendment pushed by Labour MP Conor McGinn, ministers will be obliged to legalize same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland by October 21 if a new Stormont Executive has not been formed.
‘It failed a generation of people in Northern Ireland by not decriminalising homosexuality and condemn them to discrimination, to abuse and to living in fear many years after that stopped to be the case in the rest of the UK.
‘It failed people in Northern Ireland by not extending same-sex marriage when it became the law here making people in Northern Ireland less valued than the rest of us.
‘Tonight, we have a chance to do the right thing. People in Northern Ireland – and indeed across Britain and Ireland – are watching.
‘I for one am not going to let them down and I hope colleagues in this House don’t let them down.’
After the success of the amendment pushed by Labour MP Conor McGinn, ministers will be obliged to legalize same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland by October 21 if a new Stormont Executive has not been formed.
Image: Sky News