Pro-life groups said it was 'good news' that a Bill proposing radical changes to abortion law in parts of the UK failed to pass its second reading in Parliament last Friday.

The Bill put forward by Diana Johnson MP sought to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland while its devolved Parliament is suspended. It would have also decriminalised abortion in England and Wales.

Abortion is only permitted in Northern Ireland in exceptional medical and mental health circumstances.

Pro-life groups said the Bill would have cleared the way for abortion on demand and made it possible for women to take abortion pills at home right up to birth without facing any criminal sanctions.

Prime Minister Theresa May had been among those voicing opposition to the Bill on the grounds that decriminalisation would have meant the removal of any gestational time limits.

In a letter to a constituent, she said that the Bill 'offers no safeguards for women and would impact on England and Wales, as well as Northern Ireland'.

The Bill passed its first reading by 208 votes to 123, even though a recent poll in Northern Ireland found strong opposition to interference from Westminster on its abortion laws.

The poll by ComRes found that 64 per cent of people overall and 66 per cent of women in Northern Ireland believed that Westminster should not impose abortion laws on them.

The Right to Life campaign group said it was 'good news' that the Bill failed to pass the second reading in Parliament and is unlikely to go any further.

'This is often the case with Ten Minute Rule Motions. However the far-reaching and extreme changes proposed in the Bill were very worrying,' said spokesperson Clare McCarthy.

'We know abortion activists will be doing everything in their power to progress their agenda in Parliament over the coming months.

'It is vital that constituents continue to lobby their MPs on the disastrous impact these proposals would have for women and babies in the womb right across the United Kingdom.'

The Life charity's Director of Advocacy Anne Scanlan said: 'It is a backward and dangerous Bill which would place the health and welfare of women at risk and significantly increase the number of abortions which are already happening at a rate of one every three minutes.'

She added, 'We urge MPs to stand by women and their unborn children and continue to resist the persistent and powerful pressures being brought by the abortion industry and their political allies in parliament to remove any legal impediments to abortion on demand.'