Belfast City Hall to be lit for ‘International Safe Abortion Day’

Belfast City Hall is to be illuminated in green on 28 September to mark ‘International Safe Abortion Day’. The plans, which are sparked a fierce backlash among Christians in Northern Ireland, follow a vote where Sinn Féin, the Alliance, the SDLP and the Green Party defeated the DUP by 11 to 3.

Although City Hall has been lit up before for other causes, such as to celebrate Fairtrade Day, this will be the first time plans have been made to do so around abortion.

Around 20,000 people signed a petition calling on the illumination to be cancelled, organised by Precious Life. The petition states: “Public resources and ratepayers’ money must not be used to promote and celebrate the killing of unborn babies…City Hall should be a symbol of Belfast, not a billboard for abortion.”

Precious Life’s director, Bernadette Symth, commented: “Abortion is never ‘safe’ because of the physical harm and psychological damage it causes women, and most definitely never 'safe' for the baby who is killed in every abortion.

"If this diabolical celebration of abortion goes ahead, Precious Life will hold a public protest outside Belfast City Hall on the day of the illuminations to expose the horrific reality of abortion."

A number of other pro-life groups also expressed their dismay, including SPUC, Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland and their partner charity, Both Lives, who wrote an open letter to the City Council, asking them to clarify why the decision had been made and how it represented the whole community of Belfast.

Both Lives posted on social media: “Belfast City Hall is a significant civic symbol, representing the people of Belfast. We believe it should be a place where the value, dignity and wellbeing of every person is recognised and protected – not a place used to publicly endorse one side of a deeply contested moral issue.

It is clear that 'International Safe Abortion Day' is not really about woman's safety but about 'removing all barriers' and 'broadening legal grounds and extending upper time limits'. This goes far beyond what many people in Northern Ireland who may identify as pro-choice would support.”