The former Northern Ireland Health Minister spoke on BBC Radio on Wednesday afternoon.
DUP MLA Jim Wells has come under fire for likening the UK’s abortion rate to the Nazi Holocaust.
The former Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly claimed, while speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show on Wednesday, that more people have been killed through abortion in the United Kingdom since 1967 than died during the holocaust.
The UK's current Abortion Act, which legalised abortion in England, Scotland and Wales for up to 24 weeks, was established back in 1967. This Act has never applied in Northern Ireland.
The radio segment has been since lambasted on social media and by callers who phoned into the show, with his comments being referred to as tone deaf and out of touch.
While on the programme on Wednesday, he also expressed his belief on the
same-sex marriage debate currently being debated in Northern Ireland, stating that he believes "there is no appetite for marriage equality in South Down."
https://twitter.com/7815PWK/status/1004284608182185985
https://twitter.com/Shellmccabe/status/1004300016343748608
https://twitter.com/UbuntuLad/status/1004361750538539016
The programme in full can be listened to right
here.
Wells is known for sharing controversial opinions on divisive topics. Back in 2015, the then Northern Ireland Health Minister was called to appear before the health committee following his widely condemned comments linking gay couples and child abuse.
Wells was forced to issue an apology after widespread criticism for stating: "You don't bring a child up in a homosexual relationship. That a child is far more likely to be abused and neglected."
In April of this year,
Wells attended a 'Save the 8th' rally in Dublin, keen to show his support for the No side of the campaign.
In the past, the controversial former Northern Ireland Health Minister has also taken a woman battling terminal cancer to court in
a row over remarks about same-sex marriage.
A number of Sinn Féin politicians have since taken to Twitter to vouch for their personal opinions on abortion, stating that those of Wells' are not shared with everyone.
https://twitter.com/EnnisSinead/status/1004363420991451142
https://twitter.com/GerryKellyMLA/status/1004284880681873409
https://twitter.com/ChrisHazzardSF/status/1004286043825295365
https://twitter.com/sinnfeinlgbt/status/1004321480560267266
Wells later clarified that his comparison to the Nazis was only related to the "numbers" involved.
Following the results of the Republic of Ireland's Eighth Amendment Referendum, renewed pressure has been cast on the Northern Ireland Assembly to reform and legislate for abortion there.
An emergency debate on the issue of abortion in Northern Ireland was held in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has previously insisted that any decision on abortion in the region is a matter for Northern Ireland's locally elected politicians at Stormont.
As it currently stands, abortion is only legal in the North if the life of the woman is endangered.
