Stella Creasy takes baby into Commons chamber for debate on abortion
Stella Creasy cradled her baby in Parliament as she quizzed a Tory minister on access to abortions in Northern Ireland.
The Labour MP’s daughter Hettie gurgled away as her mother pressed the Government for answers on what it will do if the Northern Ireland Assembly ‘continues to say they will not commission’ abortion services.
As she made her way to Parliament, Ms Creasy shared a picture of her daughter on Instagram, writing: ‘When I told the kid today we would have an adventure am not sure standing up for women’s rights in parliament was quite what she had in mind.’
Once inside the Commons chamber, Ms Creasy warned Northern Ireland Secretary Robin Walker that devolution ‘doesn’t absolve us of our responsibility to uphold the human rights of every UK citizen’.
She told MPs: ‘We all recognise that this is a difficult issue for many and that there are strongly held views on all sides of this debate.
‘But one of the reasons why this House stood up for the human rights of all women in the United Kingdom was just because it was too difficult didn’t mean that their rights should be denied.
‘And devolution doesn’t absolve us of our responsibility to uphold the human rights of every UK citizen.
‘And I respect the argument that the minister is making, as does my daughter, that the human rights are at the heart of all of this, and that the role of the Assembly should be to come up with its alternative proposals if it doesn’t like these regulations.
‘Because to not propose these regulations would mean further delay and possibly women making unsafe choices in Northern Ireland because there isn’t clarity about what services are available to them.’
Ms Creasy added that ‘travelling is not a sustainable option’ for women seeking abortions, particularly during the current pandemic.
She said: ‘Now the minister says he wants to see the Department of Health in Northern Ireland providing these services. Can he tell us what his plan is, indeed, if the Northern Ireland Assembly continues to say that they will not commission these services?
‘How do we ensure that we uphold the rights of CEDAW that we have said every woman in the United Kingdom is entitled to be covered by?’
In response, Mr Walker said: ‘I do think that it is important that we should end the need to travel and that is what these regulations properly implemented should do.’
He added that ‘is not something that can necessarily be done instantly’ and the Government ‘will continue to fund and support travel in the interim’.
Mr Walker said: ‘We will work with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, provide them with the support that they need and continue to engage with the relevant medical bodies to make sure that this process can be completed as quickly as possible.
‘And I would join her in once again urging the Assembly to engage with this and support this actively in order to make sure that we have a set of measures in place that can really deliver for women and girls in Northern Ireland.’
As she made her way to Parliament, Ms Creasy shared a picture of her daughter on Instagram, writing: ‘When I told the kid today we would have an adventure am not sure standing up for women’s rights in parliament was quite what she had in mind.’
Once inside the Commons chamber, Ms Creasy warned Northern Ireland Secretary Robin Walker that devolution ‘doesn’t absolve us of our responsibility to uphold the human rights of every UK citizen’.
She told MPs: ‘We all recognise that this is a difficult issue for many and that there are strongly held views on all sides of this debate.
‘But one of the reasons why this House stood up for the human rights of all women in the United Kingdom was just because it was too difficult didn’t mean that their rights should be denied.
‘And devolution doesn’t absolve us of our responsibility to uphold the human rights of every UK citizen.
‘And I respect the argument that the minister is making, as does my daughter, that the human rights are at the heart of all of this, and that the role of the Assembly should be to come up with its alternative proposals if it doesn’t like these regulations.
‘Because to not propose these regulations would mean further delay and possibly women making unsafe choices in Northern Ireland because there isn’t clarity about what services are available to them.’
Ms Creasy added that ‘travelling is not a sustainable option’ for women seeking abortions, particularly during the current pandemic.
She said: ‘Now the minister says he wants to see the Department of Health in Northern Ireland providing these services. Can he tell us what his plan is, indeed, if the Northern Ireland Assembly continues to say that they will not commission these services?
‘How do we ensure that we uphold the rights of CEDAW that we have said every woman in the United Kingdom is entitled to be covered by?’
In response, Mr Walker said: ‘I do think that it is important that we should end the need to travel and that is what these regulations properly implemented should do.’
He added that ‘is not something that can necessarily be done instantly’ and the Government ‘will continue to fund and support travel in the interim’.
Mr Walker said: ‘We will work with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, provide them with the support that they need and continue to engage with the relevant medical bodies to make sure that this process can be completed as quickly as possible.
‘And I would join her in once again urging the Assembly to engage with this and support this actively in order to make sure that we have a set of measures in place that can really deliver for women and girls in Northern Ireland.’
