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Abortion: Cardinal throws down gauntlet to PM

Cardinal Keith O'Brien has called on Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, to take a moral lead and order an urgent review of Britain's abortion laws.

In an exclusive article for The Scotsman, the leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland praised Mr Brown for his stand on poverty in the third world and called on him to take that same respect for life into a "another sphere - the defence of life as yet unborn".

It is another attempt by the cardinal to put the issue at the forefront of political debate. He caused controversy earlier this year when he said the equivalent of two Dunblane massacres a day were being carried out, thanks to Britain's abortion laws.

His latest call comes amid a growing clamour from campaigners on both sides of the debate for the abortion laws to be looked at again by Westminster.

The pro-choice lobby wishes easier access to abortions while maintaining the upper limit of 24 weeks, while the pro-life lobby wants to see the time limit reduced and tighter control on abortions for what it describes as a "lifestyle choice".

In his article, Cardinal O'Brien challenged Mr Brown to do what his predecessor, Tony Blair, did not do, and reduce the time limit on abortions. He said that in a private meeting with Mr Blair, the former Prime Minister conceded there was a strong argument for a time-limit reduction. He said: "Sadly, he failed to act, allowing an opportunity to pass. I hope our new Prime Minister will not do the same."

The Cardinal, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, described Mr Brown as a "man of principle and deeply-held moral convictions" for his work as chancellor in reducing third-world debt. But he claimed such work was hypocritical if it did not extend to helping the unborn.

"Our compassion towards the newborn and starving child in Darfur or Eritrea is surely hypocritical and hollow if we wantonly ignore the needs of their unborn counterparts in Dunfermline or Edinburgh who, through abortion, face the end of their short lives just as certainly as if they were born into poverty and malnutrition on the other side of the globe," he said.

New figures released in May showed that 13,081 abortions were carried out in Scotland in 2006, compared with 12,603 the year before - the fourth consecutive increase. The figures also revealed that abortions among those aged under 16 rose to 362 in 2006, from 341 the year before and 309 in 2004.

Alex Salmond, the First Minister, has said he may set up an independent commission to examine the application of the abortion law in Scotland, but this would have no power as it remains a reserved matter.

Cardinal O'Brien sparked controversy a month ago when, during a sermon to mark the 40th anniversary of the passing of the Abortion Act, he hinted that Catholic politicians should not take holy communion if they voted for abortion. He later compared abortion figures with the Dunblane massacre when he said "we kill the equivalent of a classroom full of school children every day".

The cardinal said: "I believe the time has come for wide-ranging and open debate in this country about abortion. It should not be dominated by our political elites or medical professionals, by religious leaders or pressure groups, but should be open to all."

Nadine Dorries, the Tory MP whose private member's bill to cut the upper time limit from 24 to 21 weeks was defeated in the Commons last year, said public opinion now supported a change. "Why should a child born prematurely at 21 weeks be given every opportunity to live while, in a neighbouring ward, it is terminated. Life can be viable above 21 weeks and so should be protected," she said.

But Tim Street, director of the Family Planning Association Scotland, said he found the cardinal's continual butting into the political process "exasperating". "He should stick to his own constituency. Politicians deal with the law; most politicians are not Catholics. This is an issue between women and their medical professionals," he said.

Full story at The Scotsman.