Pro-life group marks 11,000 lives lost from abortion in Northern Ireland

A pro-life group in Northern Ireland (NI) organized a solemn commemoration last week marking six years since abortion was imposed on the region by the Westminster government in London, highlighting what it stated are over 11,000 unborn lives lost to abortion since 2020.

Key Takeaways:

• A group of pro-life advocates demonstrated in front of Parliament on May 5.

• They commemorated over 11,000 lives lost and pointed out that 32 infants are known to have been born alive following attempted abortions.

• The group is calling for lawmakers to reinstate protection for the preborn in Northern Ireland.

The Details:

Precious Life, NI’s most prominent pro-life advocacy group, gathered other pro-life advocates on May 5 at the steps of Parliament Buildings in Stormont. The commemoration acted both as a memorial for the preborn and a renewed call for lawmakers to reinstate legal safeguards for innocent preborn lives. 

Addressing attendees, Precious Life Director Bernadette Smyth quoted recent abortion statistics published by the NI Department of Health in December 2025. As per the data released, 2,899 abortions were committed between 2024 and 2025 alone. Smyth disclosed that since abortion was legalized in 2020, a total of 11,193 unborn children have been deprived of the chance to live. 

Framing the figures in stark terms, Smyth pointed out the gravity of the situation. 

“11,193 babies is the equivalent of entire towns such as Downpatrick, Limavady, Ballyclare, or Ballymoney,” she said. “It also represents 448 classrooms full of children — an average of 43 babies every week, six every day.” 

The commemoration reflected pro-life resistance to legal revisions implemented by Westminster, which broadened abortion access to NI in 2019. Critics of these pro-abortion amendments have lambasted how the decision bypassed local democratic processes, and imposed abortion policy on the region.

Smyth reinforced that criticism, denouncing abortion as “the greatest human rights abuse of our time,” and calling on both political leaders and the public not to ignore its consequences. 

Citing British abolitionist William Wilberforce, she cautioned, “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say you did not know.”

The Precious Life director also highlighted the various methods of abortion, explaining that many early-stage abortion methods entail the use of the drug mifepristone, which deprives the preborn child of progesterone, causing the preborn child to die. She described the process in somber moral terms, revealing how many  innocent preborn children “were poisoned and starved to death.”

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Zoom In:

One of the most disturbing concerns broached during the event involved cases in which babies reportedly displayed signs of life following abortion procedures. Based on figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests, 32 infants were born alive after attempted abortions, and were later issued death certificates.

“These babies survived the abortion that was meant to end their lives before birth,” Smyth said. “The intentional death of any child in the womb is horrific, but it is especially disturbing when a baby is born alive and does not receive life-saving care.”

Precious Life has submitted further questions to the Department of Health requesting more information on how such “born-alive” cases were documented and managed. The group is asking whether these infants were legally recognized as live births, what medical care they obtained, and what clinical guidelines influenced decisions about life-sustaining treatment.

Furthermore, the organization is championing for transparency regarding whether mothers would be notified if their baby is born alive, and who eventually determines whether treatment is supplied or denied. In view of this, Smyth characterized these issues as “fundamental human rights concerns” that demand urgent investigation and accountability.

In her speech at Stormont, Smyth criticized what she called a contradiction within the NI healthcare system. “While our Health Service is in crisis, abortion is being prioritized,” she said. “While women need real support, abortion is being promoted. While families wait years for treatment, funding for abortion is ring-fenced. This is not health care. This is injustice.”

Smyth also alluded to civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., stating, “Those who accept evil without protesting against it are really cooperating with it,” asking citizens not to remain apathetic. 

With government elections poised for 2027, Precious Life used the event to call on voters and elected representatives alike to adopt a definite stance on abortion policy. The group is advocating for the revocation of Westminster’s abortion framework, and the restoration of legal protections for preborn children. 

“We call on every MLA and elected representative to end this practice and stand for the most basic human right — the right to life,” Smyth said. 

The Bottom Line:

The commemoration culminated in a renewed promise from Precious Life to continue its advocacy efforts through public awareness campaigns, education initiatives, and political engagement. The organization reaffirmed its long-term aim of building a society in which abortion is both illegal and, in its words, “unthinkable.”

Returning to Wilberforce’s words, Smyth ended her address with a final challenge: “Let it not be said that I was silent when they needed me.”