The Evangelical Alliance welcomed news that plans to extend the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland through the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill have not been successful.

Speaking after the Westminster debate on Wednesday, Karen Jardine, Public Affairs & Development Officer with Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland said: "Attempting to liberalise abortion laws in Northern Ireland through an amendment to the HFE Bill was an undemocratic move by a select number of MPs ignoring the unique political consensus among political parties here.

"Locally the debate has been about rights and equality. However, at the heart of this issue lie critical questions about the value our society places on life itself.

"We need to create a culture of life that values the dignity and potential of both lives - the unborn child and the mother - and which also takes into account others who are involved including partners and the wider family circle. This requires political courage and imagination, not a quick fix solution."

Stuart Noble, Parliamentary Officer for CARE in Northern Ireland, which has a number of pregnancy crisis counselling centres across the country, added: "Clearly, the Northern Ireland Assembly is engaging with this issue and taking it seriously. Just last week, the Health Committee spent considerable time scrutinising Department of Health guidance on termination of pregnancy in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly is the most appropriate place for these decisions to be made."