Abortion Archives - Catholic Bishops' Conference https://www.cbcew.org.uk/category/cbcew/life-issues/abortion/ England and Wales Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:22:28 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/09/cropped-android-chrome-512x512-1-32x32.png Abortion Archives - Catholic Bishops' Conference https://www.cbcew.org.uk/category/cbcew/life-issues/abortion/ 32 32 174395915 Bishop of Portsmouth Statement on abortion vote https://www.cbcew.org.uk/bishop-of-portsmouth-statement-on-abortion-vote/ https://www.cbcew.org.uk/bishop-of-portsmouth-statement-on-abortion-vote/#respond Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:55:00 +0000 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/?p=116029 Last week, the House of Lords, in a misguided and sinister move, backed legislation to decriminalise abortions up to birth. Although the current legal limit of twenty-four weeks will remain for doctor-induced abortions, it will soon be legal for mothers themselves to kill their unborn child at any moment they wish up to full term. […]

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]]> https://www.cbcew.org.uk/bishop-of-portsmouth-statement-on-abortion-vote/feed/ 0 116029 Archbishop Mark O’Toole on abortion vote: We long for the day when we will truly be a “civilised society” https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishop-mark-otoole-on-abortion-vote-we-long-for-the-day-when-we-will-truly-be-a-civilised-society/ https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishop-mark-otoole-on-abortion-vote-we-long-for-the-day-when-we-will-truly-be-a-civilised-society/#respond Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:30:00 +0000 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/?p=115947 Archbishop Mark O’Toole, Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia, has issued a statement following the House of Lords’ vote in favour of decriminalising abortion up to birth. He said: “The decision of the House of Lords to support abortion up to birth is not only deeply distressing it is also deeply disturbing. How have we got to a […]

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]]> https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishop-mark-otoole-on-abortion-vote-we-long-for-the-day-when-we-will-truly-be-a-civilised-society/feed/ 0 115947 Archbishop Wilson: Unborn child “ignored and silenced” after vote to decriminalise abortion https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishop-wilson-unborn-child-ignored-and-silenced-after-vote-to-decriminalise-abortion/ https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishop-wilson-unborn-child-ignored-and-silenced-after-vote-to-decriminalise-abortion/#respond Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:58:40 +0000 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/?p=115905 An amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill tabled to prevent a change to the law that would decriminalise abortion up to birth in a number of circumstances has been voted down in the House of Lords by 185 votes to 148. The Archbishop of Southwark, the Most Reverend John Wilson, has described the legislation […]

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]]> https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishop-wilson-unborn-child-ignored-and-silenced-after-vote-to-decriminalise-abortion/feed/ 0 115905 Archbishop’s statement on House of Lords vote on the Crime and Policing Bill https://www.cbcew.org.uk/statement-on-the-vote-on-clause-208-of-the-crime-and-policing-bill-in-the-house-of-lords/ https://www.cbcew.org.uk/statement-on-the-vote-on-clause-208-of-the-crime-and-policing-bill-in-the-house-of-lords/#respond Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:42:28 +0000 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/?p=115897 Archbishop John Sherrington, Archbishop of Liverpool and lead bishop for life issues for the Bishops’ Conference, has issued a statement following the House of Lords’ decision to keep clause 208 in the Crime and Policing Bill. The clause decriminalises abortion up to birth in some circumstances. Archbishop Sherrington expressed his distress at the decision and […]

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]]> https://www.cbcew.org.uk/statement-on-the-vote-on-clause-208-of-the-crime-and-policing-bill-in-the-house-of-lords/feed/ 0 115897 Archbishop’s statement ahead of the House of Lord’s votes on abortion decriminalisation and ‘pills-by-post’ https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishops-statement-ahead-of-the-house-of-lords-votes-on-abortion-decriminalisation-and-pills-by-post/ https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishops-statement-ahead-of-the-house-of-lords-votes-on-abortion-decriminalisation-and-pills-by-post/#respond Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:14:50 +0000 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/?p=115832 Archbishop John Sherrington, the Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Bishops’ Conference, has issued a statement as peers prepare to vote on the Crime and Policing Bill on Wednesday, 18 March. The voting in the House of Lords could lead to the decriminalisation of abortion for women, for any reason, up to the point […]

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]]> https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishops-statement-ahead-of-the-house-of-lords-votes-on-abortion-decriminalisation-and-pills-by-post/feed/ 0 115832 Plenary Statement – Life Issues https://www.cbcew.org.uk/plenary-statement-life-issues-nov-25/ Fri, 14 Nov 2025 14:30:14 +0000 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/?page_id=112239 The dignity and protection of human life was central to the bishops’ discussions during the week, particularly parliamentary moves to legalise assisted suicide and decriminalise abortion up to birth in some cases. The bishops issued this post-plenary statement. Statement 2025 is marked by an assault on the value of human life. The Bishops of England […]

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]]> 112239 Assisted Suicide and Abortion – Life Issues Statement https://www.cbcew.org.uk/assisted-suicide-and-abortion-life-issues-statement/ https://www.cbcew.org.uk/assisted-suicide-and-abortion-life-issues-statement/#respond Fri, 14 Nov 2025 13:20:13 +0000 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/?p=112313 The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales gathered at Hinsley Hall in the Diocese of Leeds for their autumn plenary meeting from 10-13 November 2025. The dignity and protection of human life was central to the bishops’ discussions during the week, particularly parliamentary moves to legalise assisted suicide and decriminalise abortion up to birth in […]

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]]> https://www.cbcew.org.uk/assisted-suicide-and-abortion-life-issues-statement/feed/ 0 112313 Archbishop on the Crime and Policing Bill: “Pregnant women need compassionate support” https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishop-sherrington-on-crime-and-policing-bill/ https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishop-sherrington-on-crime-and-policing-bill/#respond Wed, 05 Nov 2025 09:57:18 +0000 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/?p=112027 Archbishop John Sherrington, the Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Bishops’ Conference, has issued a statement on the Crime and Policing Bill which is currently going through Committee Stage in the House of Lords. He urges peers to support the amendment to overturn clause 191 which would decriminalise abortion and threaten the life of […]

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]]> https://www.cbcew.org.uk/archbishop-sherrington-on-crime-and-policing-bill/feed/ 0 112027 Re-establish a culture of life, says Archbishop in response to rising abortion statistics https://www.cbcew.org.uk/life-bishop-responds-to-rising-abortion-statistics/ https://www.cbcew.org.uk/life-bishop-responds-to-rising-abortion-statistics/#respond Fri, 11 Jul 2025 16:23:43 +0000 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/?p=107628 Archbishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Bishops’ Conference, has commented on statistics released by the Office for National Statistics (9th July) that show, in 2022, 29.69% of all conceptions in England and Wales ended in abortion – up from 26.54% a year earlier. In 2012, this number was 20.84% – just […]

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]]> https://www.cbcew.org.uk/life-bishop-responds-to-rising-abortion-statistics/feed/ 0 107628 Statement on the passing of Crime and Policing Bill amendment on abortion https://www.cbcew.org.uk/statement-on-the-passing-of-crime-and-policing-bill-amendment-on-abortion/ https://www.cbcew.org.uk/statement-on-the-passing-of-crime-and-policing-bill-amendment-on-abortion/#respond Tue, 17 Jun 2025 18:41:39 +0000 https://www.cbcew.org.uk/?p=106400 Archbishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has commented on MPs passing an amendment on the decriminalisation of abortion during the debate on the Crime and Policing Bill on Tuesday, 17 June: “Today, Parliament passed an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, that effectively […]

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