The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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STATEMENT FROM BISHOP KEENAN President of BCOS on the barbaric vote to decriminalise abortion (NB abortion until birth already takes place legally in some cases)

"Unfortunately, MPs have voted in support of Tonia Antoniazzi’s amendment which begins the reality of the decriminalisation of ‘abortion up to birth’. Notably, the vote took place after less than two hours of debate, and without public consultation.

"The amendment will change the law so that it is no longer illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason—including sex-selective purposes—at any point up to and during birth. It is likely to lead to an increase in the number of women performing dangerous late-term abortions at home.

"At the same time, another even more extreme amendment did not go to a vote and will not be able to become law, which would have allowed abortion on demand, for any reason, up to birth in abortion centres and hospitals, removing the time limit, the two-doctor rule and a series of other safeguards provided by the Abortion Act, and which would have made the UK the world's most extreme in terms of abortion law.

"I urge everyone to do all you can to help challenge this amendment in the House of Lords, and I ask you never to give up hoping that the dignity of all human life—from conception until natural death—will be upheld and defended on our shores, and to commit to the support of those who find themselves in difficulty in pregnancy so they can find all the help they need in choosing to keep their babies.

"I am so very grateful to all who engaged with their MPs on this matter to ask them to vote against this amendment, and to all who struggle every day to defend the rights of the unborn in our society and across the world. May God reward your efforts."

St Mary's University, Twickenham, invites people from across Scotland to study Applied Catholic Theology (MA) from its campus at The Gillis Centre in Edinburgh. The two year, part-time course is a partnership with the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh.

“St Mother Teresa said
I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. So, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts.

“By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And, by abortion, that father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. The father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.”

She concluded her speech with words of hope, and a reminder that we are called to use our freedom for higher purposes than murder:

“If we remember that God loves us, and that we can love others as He loves us, then America can become a sign of peace for the world. From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak -- the unborn child -- must go out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. God bless you!”