Catholics Must Mobilise Against Abortion Reforms, Says Archbishop

Catholics must oppose plans to liberalize the abortion laws, the Archbishop of Cardiff said yesterday.

In a letter and a leaflet to parish priests in England and Wales, the Most Rev Peter Smith warned that amendments to be voted on this year in the Commons would make abortions easier and more widespread and lead to the possibility of teenage girls taking abortion pills alone at home.

Smith said it would be "very helpful" if clergy could "in a suitable way" draw the attention of the parish community to the matter by giving them the leaflet.

"Time is of the essence, as approaches to MPs would need to be made over the next few weeks," he added.

The church is concerned about moves to overturn the need to have two doctors authorize an abortion, allow abortions anywhere that health services are offered, allow abortion drugs to be taken at home without medical supervision and extend abortion laws to Northern Ireland. The leaflet says: "These proposals, in permitting abortion on demand without any health-related justification, remove every vestige of protection for the unborn child.

"Letters are most effective when they are written in your own words and express what you are most concerned about ... Most of these amendments would make abortion more widespread, would lead to women having less time to think before abortion, and leave women facing abortion at home and alone without medical supervision. How do you feel about this?"

The campaign comes days after the Archbishop of Birmingham, Vince Nichols, told Catholic schools it was their duty to deliver sex and relationship education in a way that was "always" designed according to the teachings of the church.