The government's Crime and Policing Bill has two important amendments that seek to fundamentally change our laws on abortion. Please take action and make your voice heard.
We are deeply alarmed by two amendments that have been submitted to the Crime and Policing Bill. These would further reduce the protection of unborn children and their mothers. We uphold the dignity and value of every human life from conception to natural end and have clear views on these amendments
Under New Clause 1, the criminal law would no longer apply in relation to women acting to end their pregnancy, at any time, including up to and during birth. This is likely to result in an increased illegal use of abortion pills and an escalation in late-term at-home abortions, putting the lives and health of many pregnant women and their babies in grave danger. It would undermine the necessary judicial mechanisms to protect women from being coerced or pressurized into an abortion.
New Clause 20 would decriminalise abortion completely up to and during birth. This would leave women with little protection against forced or coerced abortions by families and third parties. Abortion would become available on demand and up to birth. There is little support amongst the general public for such an extreme law which entirely overturns the existing framework and totally disregards the humanity of the unborn baby.
Some people have asked how Catholic MPs can vote on Abortion amendments to legislation. The Holy See offers useful guidance on this from Pope Leo XIV’s predecessors.
In November 2002, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (now Dicastery), issued a Doctrinal Note on ‘Some Questions regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life‘ signed by its then-Prefect Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Section 4 of this note refers to Pope Saint John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae. Paragraph 73 of the encyclical states:
“When it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality. This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects.”
Archbishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues, has released a statement on the Crime and Policing Bill expressing his deep concern about two tabled amendments that seek to decriminalise abortion.
Write to your local MP to make your voice heard on this important issue.
