The UK parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage and extend abortion services in Northern Ireland yesterday—but the new laws only go into effect if the Northern Ireland Assembly doesn’t pass similar rules within three months. The Northern Ireland Assembly collapsed in 2017; if it fails to regroup before October 21, these votes will become law in Northern Ireland.
Lawmakers in London voted by 383 votes to 73 in favor of same-sex marriage and 332 to 99 in favor of abortion access. Northern Ireland currently has extremely strict abortion laws, with potential maximum sentences of life in prison for people who get abortions, even in cases of rape, incest, and fatal fetal abnormality.
If the laws are implemented, every country in the UK and the Republic of Ireland will have legalized same-sex marriage.
