Catholic Church reopens abortion rift
Catholic Church reopens abortion rift
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Wednesday, 21, Jun 2006 11:11
Dated laws governing abortion need to be amended in keeping with recent developments in the field of medical science, according to the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, believes the 24-week limit on abortions should be cut and today urged health secretary Patricia Hewitt to act on this when the two meet at the Department of Health.
A number of European countries including France and Germany have already cut the limit to 12 to 13 weeks and Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor insists England and Wales should follow suit.
"The 1967 [abortion] act needs to be looked at again in the light of recent changes in science and women's experiences, and in the light of public opinion," a spokesman for Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor explained.
Ms Hewitt has however previously said she is not in favour of changing the law and a Department of Health spokesman confirmed that the government still "has no plans to change the law on abortion".
Public opinion appears to be mixed with 47 per cent of women questioned as part of a Mori poll earlier this year saying it should be reduced. A further ten per cent did, however, call for the law to be scrapped all together.
Politicians have moved to support a review of the law with 31 MPs so far backing a Commons motion.
There has been opposition to the mooted changes, with registered charity BPAS, formerly known as the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, responding by saying "the views of the Archbishop of Westminster are not representative of the UK public at large".
Ann Furedi, chief executive of BPAS, said today that the "small number of women coming forward for termination of pregnancy between 20-24 weeks' gestation" are "particularly vulnerable" and in need of support, not condemnation.
"These women have made an incredibly hard decision to end their pregnancy and they need support, not condemnation. It can never be in the best interests of girls and women to force childbearing upon them," Ms Furedi added.
The current 24-week limit was set in 1990 – it was reduced from the 28 weeks originally set in 1967 after new research changed scientists' estimations of the age at which a foetus could survive outside of the womb.
The latest figures from the Department of Health show 185,400 abortions were carried out in England and Wales in 2004, an increase of 2.1 per cent on the previous year, with the highest number taking place among women in the 18-24 age group.
A majority (88 per cent) were carried out at under 13 weeks, and 60 per cent were at under ten weeks. Just two per cent were carried out over 20 weeks.