Member's statement: Abortion
Member's statement by Mr Harry Harvey on .
- MLA
- Mr Harry Harvey
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 8 December 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Abortion
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5284163
Read the official Assembly record
Text
As we move towards Christmas and the focus of many turns to the Christmas story of the Christ child of Bethlehem's manger, I pause to remember the many babes conceived in recent months whose lives have been cut short as a result of the practice of abortion. I was saddened to see that, between April 2024 and March 2025, some 2,899 abortions were carried out in Northern Ireland, legislated for by the previous Westminster Government through the Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020. This year's figure represented an increase of 3·7% on the 2023-24 reporting period, which equated to 2,795 souls. In total, 11,192 abortions have been carried out in Northern Ireland since the new legislation came into effect and to the period ending 31 March 2025. For me, my party and countless thousands across Northern Ireland, that figure represents a mark of collective shame on our society. There are, of course, instances where compassion and medical necessity require such a course of action, but the overwhelming majority of the 2,899 abortions conducted over the past reported year were actions of convenience in which the life of the unborn was unvalued by the individuals involved and, sadly, is now unprotected by the law of the land. The current legislative framework is far more expansive than the people of Northern Ireland were ever consulted on or wanted. The 2020 regulations were an example of how not to do government. Imposed, as it was, over the heads of democratically elected representatives in this House, it stands as the gravest of warnings to those who would advocate the virtues of London rule in preference to devolution. The injustice of that legislation, which is the most liberal to be found across these islands, continues to be an issue that those of us on these Benches will highlight and fight to overthrow. It is often stated in the discourse around the subject that both lives matter. Every life carries inherent dignity and worth. Human rights belong to everyone equally and without exception or, at least, they should.
343 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.53 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.74).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- The overall probability was moderate at most and none of the culture-war criteria was close to being met.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.25 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.13 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.04 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.32 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.22 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.53 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.53 | Between thresholds |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.74 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.01 |
| Adopts it | 0.25 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.99 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.01 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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