Northern Ireland to legalize abortion and same-sex marriage

At the stroke of midnight on Monday, Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion and same-sex marriage laws came to an end, after the region failed to restore its power-sharing executive that collapsed more than 1,000 days ago.

The changes were imposed by lawmakers in Westminster, who had given Northern Ireland a deadline until October 21 to restore its assembly at Stormont or have the laws changed directly from London.

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Despite the Stormont assembly meeting on Monday morning for the first time in three years, it was unable to prevent the amendments that meant same-sex marriage would be legalized and abortion would be decriminalized in the province.

Campaigners on both sides of the debate gathered outside Northern Ireland’s parliament building in Stormont on Monday, ahead of momentous reforms to some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world.

Many campaigners posted videos on social media of the countdown to midnight.One of them, 24-year-old Alisha Rooney told CNN:

“I am thrilled that finally my friends and colleagues can marry without it being a crime in this country.

“I am thrilled that women now have the choice with what they can do with their own bodies.