Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the ending of what has been a denial of rights for a long time in the Six Counties. The delay has been frustrating, hurtful and very costly for many. There are people around the world who wake up today and see that in a corner of Ireland their campaigns and objectives have been realised after a very long fight. These two issues are intimately connected. Irish women and the LGBT community share a most unfortunate commonality, namely, the contemporary and historical criminalisation of their bodies and lives. Today ends that criminalisation of women. I send solidarity to all those who campaigned on these issues.

The issues should have been dealt with in Stormont and it is regrettable that they were not. Such issues and future economic, health, housing and education issues can and should be dealt with on the basis of genuine power sharing. I look forward to that day.