by Iain Gray, Belfast News Letter
Landmark ‘not a billboard to promote one side’, say DUP
The DUP has hit out at a vote to light up Belfast City Hall in support of an abortion campaign next month, arguing it ‘shouldn’t be a billboard for one side’ of such a contentious issue.
The landmark building in the heart of Northern Ireland’s capital is to be illuminated to mark International Safe Abortion Day, a campaign that started in South America in 1990 but a couple of decades later was later taken up by worldwide activists.
Spearheaded by Philippines-based organisation the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights, the day calls on governments to expand access to terminations by increasing the time limits under which they can be carried out, and removing the likes of mandatory waiting periods, “biased counselling” and third-party authorisations that could cause delays.
It also demands global institutions fund safe abortion services and give money to “grassroots and feminist organisations, especially those led by women, youth, LGBTQ+, and key populations”.