Williams receives support for abortion call
-20/03/05
The Archbishop of Canterbury has received support after saying a public debate on the issue of abortion is essential.
The Methodist church said it was important that such serious issues were revisited, but warned that the issue should not become a matter of political point scoring.
It follows fears that making abortion an election issue risks a US-style debate.
Archbishop Rowan Williams, writing in the Sunday Times, said scientific progress and the “rising number” of abortions made a debate on the issue essential.
Last week, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, called for abortion to become an election issue.
Today, Anthea Cox, Methodist Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice, said “it is important that serious issues such as abortion are revisited from time to time, especially as changing medical science alters the landscape in which the debate takes place.
“However, it is equally important that such a serious topic does not become a matter for political point-scoring.”
Dr Williams said the large majority of Christians considered abortion “the deliberate termination of a human life”.
The current law had created a “groundswell of distaste” in the country at large, he said.
Dr Williams said technological advances had provided a clearer picture of foetuses’ consciousness and sensitivity to pain, and helped to keep prematurely-born babies alive.
Jim Dowson, national co-ordinator of the UK Life League welcomed the archbishop’s comments.
“I think this is very positive and will start sending shockwaves through the establishment. Abortion is firmly established as a political issue,” he said.
“We’ve found out that changing politicians’ minds doesn’t work so let’s change the politicians.”
Tory leader Michael Howard supports a reduction in the legal limit when abortions are allowed from 24 weeks to 20 and has said current rules are “tantamount to abortion on demand”.
But Prime Minister Tony Blair has made it clear he has no plans to change the law.
He says abortion should not be an election issue, arguing it is a matter for individual conscience.
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said he had previously voted for a 22-week limit but medical advances mean “I don’t know what I would do now”.
However, in a recent address to Christians he said that headlines about abortiondistorted the churches role.
“The headlines are often about abortion, sexuality or blasphemy laws. But they are a distortion.” the Lib Dem leader said.
His controversial comments came in a speech in front of a live audience of around 200 hundred church leaders, churchgoers and other faith representatives at Christ Church & Upton in central London.