Northern Ireland rejects abortion (Ireland).

Dublin--A contrast is noted in attitudes to abortion in the two parts of Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland there is a strong push, headed by the liberal media, for imposing abortion. The European Parliament, supported by six Irish MEP's, has called for the legalizaiton of abortion in the country on U.K. lines.

The 1967 British Abortion Act permits abortion up to 24 weeks gestation "where a woman's physical or mental health are at risk."

Mary Robinson, formerly President of the Republic of Ireland and now the United Nations Commissioner on Human Rights, has often implied in the past that Irish women should have access to abortion. Her office has recently issued a report criticizing the lack of information on abortion services as restricting women's freedom of expression.

With Robinson's high-profile position, this is calculated to bolster up the pro-abortion faction.

Belfast--Meanwhile in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in a heartening show of interdenominational unity, members of the Northern Ireland assembly voted 79-29 to oppose the introduction of the 1967 Abortion Act to the territory. Jim Wells, Democratic Unionist Party member who introduced the motion, stated: "It was remarkable to see the alliances formed in support." He hoped it would "let them (the U.K. Government) know that any extension of the...Act into Northern Ireland would be in the face of united opposition from the local community."

SPUC chairperson Betty Gibson was of the opinion that the Belfast vote would send a message to the "prochoicers" in the Republic that their own constitutional ban on abortion should be upheld.

The present tensions caused by the annual "marching season" problems indicate that the political situation in Northern Ireland is by no means resolved. However, the coming together of people of all religions and of the main political parties in the cause of the dignity of life augurs well for the future.

Dublin--On July 7, the Catholic bishops of Ireland, testifying before an all-party committee on the constitution, described as "seriously flawed" an Irish Supreme Court judgement permitting an abortion for a teenage girl who threatened suicide.

The bishops want the wording of the constitution amended to reflect the fundamental principle that every human life is of value in itself. Even while recognising that medical treatment for an expectant mother could, as a side-effect, be risky for her unborn child, the bishops insist that the constitutional clause in question should be so interpretation-proof as to ban abortion totally.