In Belfast, a controversy has broken out after the announced opening on 18 October of the first private clinic for carrying out abortions. In Northern Ireland, "the opening of this clinic has revived the controversy surrounding the very sensitive issue of abortion, and many political figures see it as a threat to the current legislation". "The Northern Ireland Minister for Health, Edwin Poots, recently called on the Marie Stopes organisation", which will be in charge of running the clinic," ‘to be very careful about what it does’ and promised that the authorities will make sure that ‘the law is observed.‘ "