British church officials welcome Blair's call to review abortion laws

Published: 2004-07-09

MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- British church and pro-life leaders have welcomed British lawmakers' calls to review the country's abortion laws. Calls to review the legislation came after publication of pictures of fetuses as young as 12 weeks stretching and kicking in the womb. The photos were produced by a new type of ultrasound scanning that offered an unprecedented look into the world of unborn babies. British Prime Minister Tony Blair told Parliament July 7 that if scientific evidence relating to the viability of fetuses had changed then Parliament should re-examine the matter. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster said the new fetus photos "rightly shocked people into rethinking the morality of the present law." "I am very glad the prime minister has given his support to a review," he said in a July 8 statement. Other lawmakers also called for a review of the abortion laws. David Steel, the senior British politician who pioneered the 1967 legislation allowing abortions in Britain, called for a 12-week time limit for legal abortions. Current British law allows abortions up to 24 weeks.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .