There was monumental change in legislation in Northern Ireland on Tuesday 22nd October.
When the clock struck midnight, changes to legislation saw abortion decriminalised, enabling women in the country to terminate a pregnancy without the fear of being prosecuted.
The change in law also saw the possibility of prosecution being lifted from healthcare workers.
Between now and March 2020, women who wish to terminate their pregnancies will still need to travel to England for a medical termination, whilst the Department of Health work alongside medical staff to identify policies and guidelines, which will bring services in Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK by 1 April 2020.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and other politicians triggered a recall of the Northern Ireland Assembly in an attempt to block the lifting of a near-ban on terminations. However, due to the split between the power-sharing partners (the DUP and Sinn Féin), the devolved Government never sat, and a new speaker couldn’t be elected on a cross-community basis.
At the same time, same-sex marriages were legalised in Northern Ireland, and regulations must be provided to Westminster by 13 January 2020.
Same-sex marriages have been allowed in England, Scotland and Wales since 2014, but Stormont did not legalise them.
As a result of couples having to indicate their intention to marry 28 days before doing so, the first same-sex weddings are expected to be held in the same week as Valentine’s Day in February 2020.
These changes have undoubtedly caused some anger, with Northern Ireland’s Catholic Bishops, saying:
“Monday was a tragic day for unborn children and a sad day for local democracy.”
The Bishops are also said to be concerned at the redefinition of marriage and appealed to political parties to re-double their efforts and restore the power-sharing executive.