300,000 pro-lifers sign petition to keep abortion illegal in Northern Ireland

Democratic Unionist Jim Wells presented 300,000 signatures on a petition opposing the legalization of abortion to the Speaker of the Assembly in Northern Ireland on Monday.

The move comes after a 45,000 signature petition from Amnesty International, which called for a reform of Northern Ireland's stringent abortion laws, was presented to Assembly Speaker Robin Newton last week, Belfast Telegraph reported.

Wells said that the petition, which initiated by the pro-life group Precious Life, included the names and addresses of the signatories in order to establish that they all reside in the region.

"Today I am presenting you with what I believe to be the largest petition ever received by the Northern Ireland Assembly - 300,000 signatures - not 45,000 - 300,000 signatures calling for the protection of unborn children in Northern Ireland," Wells told Newton.

"These have been signed by Northern Ireland residents who have given their address and can be verified so therefore I believe that this petition is indeed authentic," he added.

Bernadette Smyth, the director of Precious Life, argued that Amnesty's petition holds no weight because the anyone can sign the petition even if they do not live in Northern Ireland. She noted that the petition only asked signatories to provide a name and an email.

Wells noted that eight million babies have been aborted in other parts of the U.K. since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967.

"I am absolutely convinced the people of Northern Ireland do not want that law to extend to this part of the United Kingdom," he said.

Northern Ireland only permits abortion when there is a risk to the mother's health. Amnesty International cited the results of a survey which indicated that 72 percent of people in Northern Ireland agree that abortion should be permitted in cases of rape or incest.

The survey also revealed that 67 percent support abortion in cases when there is a diagnosis of a fatal fetal abnormality.

The ministers in the Stormont Executive are currently considering the recommendations of an expert panel examining the abortion ban with regard to cases of the said abnormality.

Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has expressed his intention to support a change in the abortion law to accommodate those specific cases.