United Kingdom: Worrying Increase in Abortions Spurs Episcopate

“With regret and sadness, we draw attention to the tragic loss of the lives of so many unborn children”: the gravity is expressed in the press release published on September 11, 2020 by the Bishops’ Conference of England and the United Kingdom. Wales (CBCEW). Statistics released the day before by the Ministry of Health revealed that 109,836 abortions had been performed in the first six months of 2020. These figures represent an increase of almost 4,300 compared to last year and over the same period: 2019 had already seen 200,608 voluntary terminations of pregnancy, the highest number on record in England and Wales. “It is extremely disappointing that so many mothers felt they could not continue with their pregnancies, and we look forward to the time when women finally have the real support they need to bring their pregnancies to term, whatever their situation,” added the CBCEW prelates. Right to Life, a group that defends the right to life, said in its September 10, 2020 press release that this criminal increase coincided with a temporary measure passed by Parliament, which allows abortions at home, throughout the confinement period. Although sharply criticized by the kingdom’s Catholic bishops, Boris Johnson’s government has announced that it is considering keeping the home abortion protocol, even after the epidemic episode caused by the new coronavirus. This announcement shows how governments are taking advantage of the pandemic to worsen bad laws and further advance the culture of death. Home abortion is an important step in making the murder of an unborn child commonplace. Earlier in the summer, further abortion statistics, this time released by the Scottish National Health Agency (Public Health Scotland) revealed that the number of abortions performed in Scotland in 2019 was the second highest in its history.