UK bishops, pro-life leaders react to vote decriminalizing women who end their own pregnancies

A majority of peers in the U.K.’s House of Lords voted late Wednesday to decriminalize women who terminate their own pregnancies. An amendment was agreed to in a clause in the Crime and Policing Bill.

The clause does not change the 24-week abortion limit but aims to remove criminal liability for women who end their own pregnancies at home.

The move comes after more than 100 women were prosecuted under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act in recent years, which campaigners argue is outdated and harmful.

Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool said he was “deeply distressed,” saying “this move is likely to lead to more late-term abortions putting pregnant women and their babies at risk. Many women could likely also face even greater risks of isolation, coercion, and pressure.”

He added: “I also recognize the many organizations who accompany women with practical support when faced with an unexpected pregnancy. The genuine hope they provide is now more urgent than ever. As we prepare to face this challenge, I encourage the faithful to support them in practical ways, including through prayer.”

Baroness Rosa Monckton, MBE (member of the Order of the British Empire), tabled the amendment in the House of Lords, which aimed to overturn support for a previous amendment in the Commons, telling peers it had been “added to the bill after less than an hour of debate by MPs [members of Parliament], and without the necessary scrutiny required for an issue of such seriousness.”

Her amendment was rejected by 185 votes to 148.

She told EWTN News: “I am profoundly sad but not surprised. Much emphasis is put on the vulnerability of the mother [but] almost none on the vulnerability of the unborn infant who has no voice. I will fight on.”

Previously, if a woman was arrested for having an abortion after the 24-week limit, even when no charges had been brought, the arrest might still show up in an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, because abortion offenses are classed as violent crimes.

Archbishop John Wilson of the Southwark Diocese said: “This is a truly tragic moment for our nation. How can this frightening legislation, which, following royal assent [the approval of the monarch], will permit the abortion of children right up until the moment of birth for any reason, have any place in a civilized society?”

“We can never underestimate the challenges [of] women and men facing difficult decisions,” he continued. “There is, however, another life involved which is now to be ignored and silenced.”

Wilson added: “There are also serious concerns for the safety of women. While there is an even more difficult journey now to protect the unborn child, we must continue to speak up for the voiceless and work to protect the most vulnerable who are no longer protected by the law.”

Louise McCudden, head of external affairs at MSI Reproductive Choices UK, said it would be “a huge relief to the women who have faced traumatic investigations as well as those still living with the anxiety and uncertainty created by the current law.”

Peers also rejected a bid to move back to compulsory in-person consultations by 191 votes to 119, which would have reinstated a requirement for pregnant women to have an in-person consultation.

It is currently legal for a woman less than nine weeks and six days pregnant to take prescribed medication to terminate a pregnancy.

The change was made permanent in 2022 after being introduced as a temporary measure during COVID-19 in 2020 to allow women to have medical abortions at home following a virtual consultation.

Sarah Mullally, archbishop of Canterbury, said in the debate: “The Church of England’s view on abortion is one of principled opposition, recognizing that there can be limited conditions under which abortion may be preferable to any available alternatives.”

“The infinite value of human life is a fundamental Christian principle that underpins much of our legal system and has shaped existing laws on abortion.”

She continued: “We therefore need to recognize that women confronted with the very complex and difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy deserve our utmost understanding, care, and practical support as they face what is often a heart-wrenching decision.”

Source: https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/europe/uk-bishops-pro-life-leaders-react-to-vote-decriminalizing-women-who-end-their-own-pregnancies