Doug Beattie

News Letter

Earlier today, 48 members of the Assembly voted against the UUP motion calling on the Justice minister to ensure that biological males are not placed in woman’s prisons. After the vote, Ulster Unionist Party Justice spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA commented. “Those who voted against our motion today have voted against protecting women in prisons. They have stated that men sharing prison spaces with vulnerable women is acceptable. I, my party and the majority of people across Northern Ireland do not agree with them.” #MakeNIWork

Transcript

00:00Thank you Mr. Speaker. I think some will think this is an unnecessary or a

00:04contentious debate but the reality is this conversation is happening right

00:09across our society therefore it's important that we as legislators debate

00:14the issue and lay out our position. I hope the debate can be both robust and

00:20respectful, mindful that we are talking about lived experiences right across

00:25Northern Ireland. This motion falls into three main areas which I will cover

00:30during my contributions. Firstly it's important that we commit to provide

00:35support for minority communities right across Northern Ireland. The travelling

00:40community, the disabled, the elderly, vulnerable and the LGBTQ plus communities

00:46particularly around health, education, dealing with bullying and the issues of

00:52mental health. To vote to leave out any one of these groups is not in keeping

00:58with an inclusive union I aspire to and therefore I will not be supporting the

01:03amendment. Secondly the motion talks about societal rights. The right to swing

01:10your fist ends where my nose begins. What does that mean? It means that at times

01:18rights can be conflicting and there is no automatic hierarchy in delivering

01:23what is best for the majority of people here in Northern Ireland or anywhere

01:26else. At times there are genuine conflicts and rights which are laid out

01:31in the Equality Act 2010. Over the last number of years many women have felt

01:37that their rights have been undermined. These issues can be best seen in regards

01:43to space, sport and language. Do women deserve their own space such as changing

01:49rooms, toilets, women-only groups, crisis centres, medical facilities such as

01:53hospital wards and holding facilities such as prisons? I believe they do and if

02:00you believe they do then you should support this motion.

Category

Transcript

Recommended