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.
"While upholding the principle of the sacredness of human life, I believe it is both licit and important for those in public life who oppose abortion to work and vote for achievable and incremental improvements to an unjust law," the cardinal said. "That is why I would support in any way I can MPs [members of Parliament] who take this stance and are pushing for a reduction in the upper time limit and opposing the removal of existing safeguards."
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor spoke out about various aspects of the current debate.
"I think we need to reflect deeply about the consequences of removing, as has been proposed, the need for at least two medical signatures before an abortion can take place," he said. "To relax oversight and accountability puts us on the road to unlimited access to abortion. I do not think this leads necessarily to a greater freedom. It may also expose people to greater pressure and manipulation. Reducing the need for medical consent leaves the whole burden of responsibility with a woman who may already be vulnerable.
"No decision is taken in a vacuum. Freedoms cannot be claimed or achieved independently of their impact on others. If they are, they become a tyranny. There is a tension between the principle of personal autonomy and the public good that we urgently need to negotiate for all concerned. I believe we can do this by recovering some of our most fundamental convictions about the value of human life at every stage of its growth and development."
Legal or right?
The cardinal affirmed that a "law may make an action legal but it does not necessarily make it right."
"No one is compelled to have an abortion, but unfortunately many women still do not believe they have a viable alternative," he contended. "No woman should have to suffer the trauma of abortion or abandon the principle that a child, from the beginning of its existence, is entitled to live its own life. To achieve a situation where there are real alternatives and practical, effective long-term support which make abortions unnecessary may take time."
Finally, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor affirmed the position of the Church regarding abortion.
"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."
ZE07102804 - 2007-10-28