LIFE, the national pro-life charity, has called upon the Government to take action to substantially reduce the upper time limit for abortion, following a meeting where the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, asked the Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt to support a review.
LIFE spokeswoman Michaela Aston said: “We congratulate Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor for raising this issue with the Government. There has been a groundswell of support for a review of the Abortion Act from both the public and parliamentarians. It is rightly felt that there are too many abortions and that the law as it stands is being routinely abused. With this growing momentum the Government must take action to restrict access to abortion in order to safeguard women’s physical and psychological health which is often put at risk by late abortion.
As the leading provider of post-abortion counselling in the UK, LIFE cares for women suffering severe psychological problems following abortion. With late abortion, the procedure is particularly traumatic and its effects can be devastating. It is irresponsible of a civilised society to sanction a practice which is so damaging to women. All too often, services which offer caring alternatives to abortion – like those provided by LIFE - are starved of funding and ignored by many health authorities, yet our experience proves that there is a great need for counselling, housing and practical support for those who feel they have no choice but to have a late abortion.”
ENDS
Press Release - 21 June 2006