Over 200 members of the Church of England have signed a letter criticising the amendment endorsed by the majority of MPs
Bishops have warned against the abortion law change.
Some 200 members of the Church of England clergy labelled the vote to decriminalise seeking an abortion at any stage of gestation, for any reason, “dangerous”.
On Tuesday night, MPs voted for the amendment with a majority of 242.
In a letter shared with The Telegraph, leading figures from the Church of England including 13 bishops, of whom five are diocesan bishops, warned that the amendment makes for “a dangerous change” that will fail to protect women, and instead places pregnant women and unborn children “at even greater risk of harm than previously”.
The letter reads: “We are troubled by the amendment voted through by the House of Commons on Tuesday to decriminalise terminations in utero up to full term. As many elected politicians move further away from the Christian moral values that have hitherto shaped much that is good in our national life, our concern is that the vulnerable and voiceless are increasingly overlooked.
“The tragedy of abortion will invariably move us to compassion for the pregnant woman, we are mindful also of the viability of the life of her child who is also deserving of compassion and needs protection under the law.
“This huge change in our understanding of the place of the termination of pregnancies also risks overlooking the vulnerable position of women who are victims of sexual abuse, domestic abuse and coercion, which is all the more acute due to the availability of the abortion pill by post without recourse to in-person consultation with a medical professional.
“This, together with the current debate on assisted suicide, indicates a worrying move to prioritise social liberalism and personal autonomy in a way that causes harm to the most vulnerable and those who are voiceless, both at the beginning and the end of life. It is the Church’s task to offer advocacy, protection, and to show society a better way. “
Abortion in England and Wales is currently a criminal offence. However, it is legal if carried out with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances permitting one after this period.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06...aw-change/
Bishops have warned against the abortion law change.
Some 200 members of the Church of England clergy labelled the vote to decriminalise seeking an abortion at any stage of gestation, for any reason, “dangerous”.
On Tuesday night, MPs voted for the amendment with a majority of 242.
In a letter shared with The Telegraph, leading figures from the Church of England including 13 bishops, of whom five are diocesan bishops, warned that the amendment makes for “a dangerous change” that will fail to protect women, and instead places pregnant women and unborn children “at even greater risk of harm than previously”.
The letter reads: “We are troubled by the amendment voted through by the House of Commons on Tuesday to decriminalise terminations in utero up to full term. As many elected politicians move further away from the Christian moral values that have hitherto shaped much that is good in our national life, our concern is that the vulnerable and voiceless are increasingly overlooked.
“The tragedy of abortion will invariably move us to compassion for the pregnant woman, we are mindful also of the viability of the life of her child who is also deserving of compassion and needs protection under the law.
“This huge change in our understanding of the place of the termination of pregnancies also risks overlooking the vulnerable position of women who are victims of sexual abuse, domestic abuse and coercion, which is all the more acute due to the availability of the abortion pill by post without recourse to in-person consultation with a medical professional.
“This, together with the current debate on assisted suicide, indicates a worrying move to prioritise social liberalism and personal autonomy in a way that causes harm to the most vulnerable and those who are voiceless, both at the beginning and the end of life. It is the Church’s task to offer advocacy, protection, and to show society a better way. “
Abortion in England and Wales is currently a criminal offence. However, it is legal if carried out with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances permitting one after this period.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06...aw-change/
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
