LONDON, OCT. 28, 2007 (Zenit.org).- As British Parliament considers lowering the age limit for abortions, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor weighed in, supporting any vote that ushers in what he called incremental improvements to an unjust law.
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop of Westminster, noted his support for a lowering of the age limit in a statement published today by the Telegraph newspaper.
The Abortion Act of 1967 originally set at 28 weeks the legal limit for abortions. Then, in 1990, Parliament agreed to lower the time limit to 24 weeks. An inquiry into the age limits commenced Oct. 15 by the House of Commons committee on science and technology. Improvements in survival rates for babies born prematurely have led to pressure for the limit to be lowered.
Read more on the article here: http://www.zenit.org/article-20856?l=english
I loved the way the article ends.
"The Catholic Church does not oppose abortion because it opposes human progress or fails to understand the struggles and difficulties that people have to cope with," he said. "How could the Church not believe in humanity when its whole faith is cantered on God becoming human? The Church's 'no' to abortion is simply the reflection of its unconditional 'yes' to all human life, its 'yes' to a society in which the innocent and vulnerable growing life in the womb is cherished and protected. A society that protects all its children, especially the fragile child in the womb, is a society in which we can all feel at home.
If abortion is to become a thing of the past, it will not be because the Catholic Church has succeeded in imposing its views on anyone. It will be because people, of their own volition, have come to see that there is a better way. This gives me reason for hope. We can say 'yes' to life."
