A long-standing Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) councillor in the North has resigned from the party because she says the “space for pro-life voices has all but disappeared.”
Margaret Anne-McKillop, a councillor for the Causeway Coast and Glens constituency in Co Antrim, said that behaviour from some at the party’s recent conference showed her that the nationalist party “had changed beyond recognition.”
In June, both SDLP MPs at Westminster, Colm Eastwood and Claire Hanna, voted in favour of a Bill amendment which would decriminalise abortion up to any point up to birth in England and Wales, sparking outrage from some. Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín, who left his former party over its abortion stance, appealed to members of the SDLP at the time, asking: “How can you stand over this?”
“To those within the SDLP today who no longer recognise their party or are found wanting when they ask themselves what it stands for anymore, there must be a cost to the leadership of your party for this,” the Meath West TD said. “If you remain within the SDLP you are facilitating this. If you believe in the human right to life you must act.”
McKillop was formerly a councillor for Sinn Féin but left the party in 2013 over its support for abortion. She later joined the SDLP, and was based in the coastal village of Cushendall as a councillor for the last 11 years.
In a statement, Ms McKillop said: “When I joined the SDLP in 2013, I was proud to stand for a pro-life party.”
She said that the party’s position on abortion had shifted in 2017, but she still held the view that “differing views could be respected and held in good conscience.
“Over the years, I tried to hold onto that hope. But today, the party is no longer recognisable from the one I joined. The space for pro-life voices has all but disappeared,” the former councillor said.
‘SOMETHING I CANNOT AND WILL NOT SET ASIDE’
“My commitment to defending those who cannot speak for themselves — particularly the unborn — is something I cannot and will not set aside. I’ve always placed the right to life at the heart of my political work. It has shaped my beliefs, guided my decisions, and grounded my public service.”
Ms McKillop told Gript that it had not been an easy decision, nor one made lightly, but that events at the party’s conference in Belfast earlier this month marked a turning point for her.
“I’ve wrestled with it for some time. But the events at this year’s party conference marked a turning point for me. I watched as some representatives used the platform to promote a pro-abortion agenda — clapping, fist-pumping, and, in my view, celebrating the loss of unborn life. It was a moment that made clear to me that the party I once believed in had changed beyond recognition.
“I was grateful for the opportunity to speak at that conference — for what I now know was the last time — from the heart, about the thousands of babies already lost to abortion. That moment reaffirmed my belief that principle must come before populism.
“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside dedicated people and building lifelong friendships within the SDLP. For that, I am truly thankful. I sincerely wish my former colleagues all the best for the future.
“However, I can no longer, in good faith, continue as a member of the SDLP. I will continue to serve my constituents as an independent councillor, staying true to the values that brought me into politics — and that I still hold dear.”
Ms McKillop is not the first councillor from the party to quit over the issue of abortion. In 2020, SDLP councillor for Coleraine, Stephanie Quigley, also left the party over its changed stance on abortion, saying she had come to the decision as the issue of the right to life was at the core of her politics.
Similarly to the Republic, the number of abortions carried out in Northern Ireland has seen a surge. In the year ending March 2024, there were 2,792 abortions in the North, a significant increase from the 2,168 in the previous year. From March 2023 to March 2024, the total number of abortions in the region increased by 29%.