In a move that has sparked widespread debate, a proposed amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill could potentially legalize abortion up until birth in the UK. This has prompted significant concern among religious leaders and lawmakers alike.
The contentious amendment, which eliminates all criminal penalties for abortion, has already passed through the House of Commons and is currently under discussion in the House of Lords.
Expressing his dismay, Archbishop John Sherrington, who oversees Life Issues for the Catholic Church in England and Wales, voiced his apprehensions about the potential implications of the proposal. He emphasized the risks it poses to both vulnerable women and unborn children.
“This amendment would allow women to perform abortions at home, up to birth, regardless of the circumstances,” Archbishop Sherrington stated.
He further elaborated, “Such a law places the health of women at greater risk as well as placing them at risk of coercion, as more women may use abortion pills to perform late-term, ‘DIY’ abortions.”
The amendment could also mean that more children might be aborted beyond the current 24-week threshold, according to the archbishop.
To counter this, Archbishop Sherrington supports an amendment proposed by Baroness Monckton, which seeks to reverse the Commons amendment and restore the mandate for in-person medical consultations before any abortion procedure.
The House of Lords has shown significant resistance to the idea of unrestricted abortion. Crossbench peer Lord Alton criticized the Commons’ decision, describing it as a “grotesque measure” and accused campaigners of misusing a bill aimed at crime prevention to advance abortion legislation.
“Hijacking an unrelated Bill to try to force through what would be the biggest change to abortion law in this country since the Abortion Act in 1967 is no way to make law,” Lord Alton asserted.
Currently, UK law permits abortions up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy, whereas the average limit across the European Union is 12 weeks. Each year, approximately 250,000 abortions occur in the UK, with nearly 11 million having taken place since the 1967 Abortion Act was enacted.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
