Last Updated Nov 14th, 2019 at 4:48 pm

Northern Ireland’s restrictions on same-sex marriage and abortion will lift after opponents of the change failed to garner enough votes to block it before a midnight deadline, effectively passing the new changes.

Until now, Northern Ireland was the only part of the UK that banned same-sex marriage. Abortion regulations only allowed the procedure in cases where the mother’s health was at risk.

Frameworks for legal abortions in Northern Ireland will be in place by March 31, 2020 and for same-sex marriage by January 13, 2020.