BBC News By Jayne McCormack Published image copyrightReuters image captionCampaigners on both sides of the issue took the streets of Belfast in September 2019, a month before NI's abortion laws changed significantly The sensitive issue of abortion has long divided opinion in Northern Ireland. In recent years, the laws have changed and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is now attempting to amend them again. The laws covering abortion in Northern Ireland were initially the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, and later the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Act and Infant Life (Preservation) Act in 1945. In the vast majority of circumstances, it was a criminal offence in Northern Ireland to have or perform an abortion.