British lawmaker delayed giving birth to vote against Brexit
British Member of Parliament (MP) Tulip Siddiq delayed giving birth to her second child via cesarean section to vote against Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal Tuesday.
"If my son enters the world even one day later than the doctors advised, but it's a world with a better chance of a strong relationship between Britain and Europe, then that's worth fighting for," said the MP to the Evening Standard.
Siddiq, who represents the London constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn, was planning to give birth to her second child Feb. 4 by C-section, after she experienced a trying first pregnancy with her daughter, reports the Evening Standard.
However, she was advised by doctors to move up the procedure to Monday or Tuesday after she developed gestational diabetes. Medical staff agreed to delay it until Thursday, reports the BBC News.
The MP planned to be wheeled through the lobby of Parliament in a wheelchair.
"Thank you all for supportive messages. My decision to delay my baby's birth is not one I take lightly," the Siddiq tweeted Tuesday.
A Parliamentary system called "pairing," can be used for MP's who are unable to make a vote. If one lawmaker can't vote on an issue, another lawmaker on the opposite side of the issue agrees not to vote — canceling each other out. But, Siddiq expressed distrust toward the system and explained why in a tweet.
"Let me be clear, I have no faith in the pairing system — in July the Govt stole the vote of a new mother," she wrote. "It's my duty to represent Hampstead & Kilburn, and I will do just that."
Thank you all for supportive messages. My decision to delay my baby's birth is not one I take lightly. Let me be clear, I have no faith in the pairing system - in July the Govt stole the vote of a new mother. It's my duty to represent Hampstead & Kilburn, and I will do just that.
— Tulip Siddiq (@TulipSiddiq) January 15, 2019
Siddiq was referring to the incident when Tory chairman Brandon Lewis voted on a trade bill even though he was paired with Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson, who was on maternity leave, BBC News reports. He was accused of breaking the system, but later apologized, saying it was an "honest mistake."
Siddiq, a member of the Labour Party, has been a long-time critic of Brexit, writing on her website: "I campaigned hard for Remain in June 2016 and have pushed to retain our close ties with Europe since."
Parliament rejected May's proposed divorce agreement with the European Union by the wide margin of 432 to 202 votes.