Abortion & Politics in Great Britain

Interesting goings-on in the U.K., in the run-up to the Parliamentary Elections, with respect to the Catholic Church and the relative positions of the major parties on the issue of abortion:

Cardinal tells Catholics to reject Labour over abortion.

THE Roman Catholic Church made a dramatic entry into the election campaign yesterday by backing Michael Howard’s stance on abortion and withdrawing its traditional support for Labour.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor ensured that abortion would play a greater part in the coming election than any other by praising the Tory leader’s call for a cut in the legal abortion limit from 24 to 20 weeks.

The Archbishop of Westminster went on to admit that Labour was no longer the natural party of choice for the UK’s six million Catholics.
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Archbishop says he is not backing Conservatives.

Following reports in the press and media suggesting otherwise, the Archbishop of Westminster has issued a statement saying that he is not supporting or endorsing the Conservative Party.

Following the publication yesterday of the pre-election document of the catholic Bishops of England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor also spelled out his position in a series of interviews with the BBC, ITN and Sky, on BBC Radio 4 and Five Live.

He also said that he didn't consider abortion to be a party political issue, although he hoped that it would feature as an election issue.
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Abortion must not be election issue – Blair

PRIME Minister Tony Blair tried to defuse growing controversy around the issue of abortion yesterday by insisting it was a matter for personal conscience and not election campaigning.

The subject flared up when the Roman Catholic Church publicly backed Tory leader Michael Howard's suggestion that the abortion limit be reduced from the 24th week of pregnancy to the 20th week.
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