The North isn't Next, it's Now.

At the stroke of midnight, abortion and same-sex marriage was legalised in Northern Ireland.  The last country in the UK and Ireland to have an almost all-out ban on abortion - and a full ban on equal marriage - the North officially amended its legislation last night and aligned itself with its neighbours. At 00:00, all across the North and elsewhere, people began celebrating the simple fact that they will soon have total agency over their own bodies, and the choice to marry the person they love. The online reaction was no different to the one in the streets, as supporters of equal marriage and abortion rights took to Twitter to express their unadulterated delight that the Northern Ireland Assembly had not been successfully restored before now. There was the eruption of applause, tears, and screams as the clock finally struck midnight in Belfast. https://twitter.com/BANGWOOL_PD/status/1186431869547618306?s=20 https://twitter.com/Donnan_S/status/1186408099030208513?s=20 There was Derry Girls' Nicola Coughlan and genuine Jonathan Van Ness shouting about the wee lesbian. https://twitter.com/nicolacoughlan/status/1186563535603716096?s=20 https://twitter.com/nicolacoughlan/status/1186437387997667329?s=20 There was this factually accurate sweater. https://twitter.com/jusdobby/status/1186367050689794050?s=20 There was this iconic Facebook purge. https://twitter.com/megansmyth554/status/1186379023519223809?s=20 And there was this oddly wholesome #throwback regarding where the North once was - and where it's now going. https://twitter.com/davidmcw/status/1186573741553344512?s=20 https://twitter.com/Caolanmcaree/status/1186359253247971331?s=20 Abortion and same-sex marriage was legalised at the stroke of midnight on October 22. The changes came as amendments were asked to be made by to a routine Commons Bill which had been tabled by Labour Party MPs Conor McGinn and Stella Creasy. McGinn first put forward a proposal to Westminster to legalise same-sex marriage. This was followed up with Creasy putting forward a motion to decriminalise abortion in the North. Both amendments were passed through parliament with significant majorities. Both amendments were set to become law unless the Northern Ireland Assembly had been restored at Stormont by today. May the celebrations continue.