An open letter to the Nation on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Abortion Act, passed in 1967. It was written by the two presidents of the Bishops Conferences of Scotland, England and Wales, card. Keith O’Brian and card. Cormac Murphy O’Connor. “The 1967 Act – write the cardinals – meant to solve the problem of illegal abortion, as this was the greatest cause of death for pregnant women. However, nowadays our countries perform about 200 thousand abortions a year. We have the most liberal law in Europe, under which a woman can have a termination within 24 weeks and if the child is disabled until the child’s birth. Whatever our faith and political belief, abortion when performed on such a scale can only be a source of pain and deep distress for everyone”. In their letter, the cardinals repeat that, for the Church, conception is the time “life begins” and propose that helping women in distress is the way to go. “We believe abortion is not just a personal choice, but it questions the choices that our society makes to support women, partners and families in such predicaments”. The letter ends with an invitation to those who believe “in the sanctity of human life” to “work and vote for a feasible improvement” of the Act.
