“I am pleased the Speaker’s Office has now decided to accept my private member’s bill and begin the process which I hope leads to the reform desperately needed for women in Northern Ireland who wish to access terminations,” he said.
“As Justice Minister, I attempted to bring legislation to the Executive to allow that but other parties blocked it and failed to accept my recommendations. That left women in those circumstances with no option but to continue the pregnancy or make the journey to England to seek a termination.
“My Bill solely deals with abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities. I hope it will be the next step on the road to both confronting and changing the reality of the situation women given such a diagnosis currently face.”