SINN Féin has said a DUP motion on abortion, is "an attempt to reject the entire abortion legislation" introduced at Westminster, that came into effect at the end of March.
The party has tabled an amendment to a DUP motion on terminations relating to Down's syndrome which will be debated at Stormont's Assembly today.
The DUP motion “welcomes the important intervention of disability campaigner Heidi Crowter and rejects the imposition of abortion legislation which extends to all non-fatal disabilities, including Down's syndrome”.
With the Sinn Féin amendment the motion would read that the Assembly “welcomes the important intervention of disability campaigner Heidi Crowter and rejects the specific legislative provision in the abortion legislation which goes beyond fatal foetal abnormalities to include non-fatal disabilities, including Down's syndrome”.
Speaking at the daily Executive briefing, DUP leader Arlene Foster said the motion "is to deal with the distressing issue of abortion of foetuses that are diagnosed with Down's syndrome.
"We believe that is wrong and we hope that we will get the support of colleagues across the assembly to deal with that issue, and so that we can sent a message to Westminster that we do not agree with their proposals".
Sinn Féin deputy leader Michele O'Neill said "Sinn Fein supports the provision of modern and appropriate and compassionate health care for women, we also know that previous legislation was failing women in the north and it was incompatible with human rights law.
"It's our view that the DUP motion tomorrow (Tuesday) is an attempt to reject the entire abortion legislation that was brought forward at Westminster, ideally we would have rather done this ourselves but that was not the case.
"So change was required, our position is very clear and on the record, we believe abortion should be available when a woman's life, health or mental health is at risk, in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and in cases of rape or sexual abuse.
"It's our view that the DUP motion is an attempt to reject the entire abortion legislation and we will oppose that."
However, the deputy first minister added that her party did not support abortion in cases of non-fatal disabilities, indicating that they would be willing to introduce secondary legislation in Northern Ireland ruling out abortion in such cases.
Amnesty said they oppose both the DUP motion and the Sinn Féin amendment.
Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland campaign manager, said it was "a clear signal that the DUP wants to roll back the hard-won rights of women and girls".
"Sinn Féin and other parties must not prop up a dangerous anti-choice agenda – instead, they should support human rights and show they’re on the side of women", she said.
"The priority right now should be women’s safety and well-being. The Department of Health must urgently commission services and ensure they are accessible to all who need them. This is where MLAs should be focusing their attention", she added.
