More than 200 Church of England clergy have signed a letter objecting to the decriminalisation of women who abort up to birth.
Last week, MPs approved Tonia Antoniazzi’s New Clause 1, an amendment to the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which will allow a woman to kill her unborn baby at any stage of pregnancy without sanction, by 379 votes to 137. They also rejected a proposal to reinstate in-person consultations under the pills-by-post scheme.
The letter, which includes signatures from 13 bishops, branded the amendment “a dangerous change”, and warned that the change would put women and unborn children at “even greater risk of harm”.
The clergy stated: “As many elected politicians move further away from the Christian moral values that have hitherto shaped much that is good in our national life, our concern is that the vulnerable and voiceless are increasingly overlooked.”
They said the “tragedy of abortion will invariably move us to compassion for the pregnant woman”, but added that her unborn child “is also deserving of compassion and needs protection under the law”.
The letter raised particular concern about “the availability of the abortion pill by post, without recourse to in-person consultation with a medical professional”, and expressed hope that the House of Lords would change the legislation for the better in their scrutiny of the Bill.
Revd Richard Bastable, who coordinated the letter, said: “The proposed change in the law puts women and unborn children at greater risk, especially in cases of abuse and coercion.”
He added: “This, together with the current debate on assisted suicide, indicates a worrying move to prioritise social liberalism and personal autonomy in a way that causes harm to the most vulnerable and those who are voiceless, both at the beginning and the end of life.
“It is the Church’s task to offer advocacy, protection, and to show society a better way.”