Anne Brolly hits out at Sinn Féin's abortion stance

Anne Brolly - pictured here with her husband, Francie, a former Sinn Féin MLA - served on Limavady council for nearly 15 years

A former Sinn Féin councillor has said the party's abortion stance is still unclear to voters.

Anne Brolly left the party last year because of its position on abortion.

In 2016, Sinn Féin changed its abortion policy to allow terminations in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities.

At Saturday's ard fhéis (party conference), party members voted in favour of allowing abortions when a pregnancy poses a risk to a woman's health - including her mental health.

The Republic of Ireland is due to hold a referendum on abortion law next year

Speaking on BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, Mrs Brolly reiterated her reasons for leaving, saying it was an "abuse of power to make anyone say or do anything that goes against their conscience".

She rejected a claim by Michelle O'Neill, who leads the party north of the border, that Saturday's vote was a "restatement of the current policy with additional features".

"No, that's not how I saw it," said Mrs Brolly.

'No ambiguity'

The Republic of Ireland is due to hold a referendum on abortion law next year.

Referring to an article written by Michelle O'Neill in the Irish News, Mrs Brolly claimed:

"She said Sinn Féin was not a pro-abortion party, but that leaves to a lot of confusion on the doorstep.

The motion also re-asserts opposition to the criminalisation of women who have abortions

"That a woman's life should always be saved is already in the law. It's time to have a proper debate about abortion, but dissent is not socially acceptable.

"They (the public) don't know where Sinn Féin stand on it.

"I hope the public know and I hope they realise that we have now have bought into the 1967 Act".

Speaking on BBC Radio Foyle's breakfast programme Sinn Féin MLA Raymond McCartney rejected Mrs Brolly's claims.

He said the party's policy was clearly laid out."Anne mentioned the 1967 Act, but it's far from it. What people should do is read the policy."