Lords fail to overturn decriminalising abortions up to birth
The House of Lords has rejected amendments to a law which removes criminal penalties for women who end their own pregnancies at any stage up to birth. The measure was pushed through in the Commons as an amendment to the Crime and Policing bill, after a 46 minute debate, following prosecutions of women who had late term abortions after taking tablets at home. But there is concern that the bill will allow abortions at or near full term development, and the Lords was packed as several amendments were tested. Eleven Church of England bishops were present, including the Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, who broke her pilgrimage to speak and vote in the Lords. She said the bill “undoubtedly risks eroding the safeguards and enforcement” of the 24 week abortion limit, “inadvertently undermining the value of human life”. She said the issue was of such complexity that she did not believe that it could be properly addressed in an amendment “hastily added to another bill”. It needed public consultations and robust parliamentary processes to ensure it was “carefully considered and scrutinised.”
One amendment to remove the clause completely was defeated by 185 votes to 148. A second amendment to restore in-person consultations with a medical professional before home abortions, was also rejected by 191 to 119. The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, moved another amendment saying that pregnant girls must see a medical professional in person to get abortion pills, but this was also rejected by 68 to 163.
A spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said it was an extreme piece of legislation and it was a “travesty that such an enormous and terrible legislative change, which will directly endanger the lives of unborn babies well beyond the point at which they would be able to survive outside the womb, as well as the lives of their mothers, has been allowed to happen”, adding that “a civilised society does not permit abortion up to birth”.
Baroness Tessa Blackstone, chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, told The Lords (21.19) that many representatives of the medical profession strongly adhere to what lies behind the abortion measure. She strongly supports it as it “seeks to ensure women will no longer be subject to long investigations and criminal charges, which are exceedingly distressing”.
Church leaders in Scotland call for better palliative care after assisted dying bill was rejected
Scotland’s Catholic bishops have welcomed the parliament’s decision to reject assisted dying. In a statement, they said: “As a society, our responsibility is not to address suffering by eliminating the sufferer, but to surround each person with care, respect, and dignity until their natural end. Our next priority must be to strengthen palliative care by ensuring that it is properly funded and accessible to all who require it”. The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rosie Frew, also welcomed the result said “it was clear that the safeguards included did not offer sufficient protection” and “we need to prioritise the development of excellent palliative care services that are universally available and fully funded”. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has added his voice to these calls.
‘Historic opportunity’ for Religious Education in new cohesion agenda
Religious Education is set to play a strengthened role in the government’s plans to build a more cohesive society, according to a government policy paper published earlier this month. The document “Protecting What Matters”, signals that standards in RE teaching will be driven up, with local Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (SACREs) given renewed prominence. It also suggests ministers will “carefully consider” bringing RE fully into the national curriculum and its role will be strengthened alongside citizenship and British history. The future of RE was a key focus at a conference yesterday hosted by the Open University ‘RETOPEA’ project and the charity Solutions Not Sides, which works with schools to encourage respectful dialogue on contentious issues such as Israel and Gaza. Speakers explored the role RE could play in efforts to tackle division and extremism. Dr Stefanie Sinclair, from the Open University, said the subject is likely to shift away from simply teaching facts about faith traditions, towards exploring religion in its historical, cultural and social context — alongside developing skills in communication and digital literacy. “This is an incredibly important historical opportunity for Religious Education,” she said. The discussion also highlighted the need for enhanced citizenship education. Dr Jeremy Hayward, who is running a project on online misinformation, warned that young people need more curriculum time to understand how social media drives polarisation and exposes them to “weird and dangerous” information environments. He said the time allocated for citizenship is “woefully inadequate”, adding: “We need a curriculum fit for the digital age.”
Nigeria aide rejects Christian genocide claims as president begins UK state visit
A senior adviser to the Nigerian president has told Premier Christian News that Christians are not being specifically targeted in violence across Nigeria, despite stories of massacres and murders and a US House of Representatives report that Nigeria has become the most dangerous place in the world to practice the Christian faith. Bayo Onanuga told Premier: “There is nothing like Christian genocide”, saying that extremists and criminals kill in mosques, marketplaces and elsewhere, targeting all Nigerians. He was speaking on the day that President Bola Tinubu and his wife began their state visit, meeting the king at Windsor. The president is Muslim and fasting during the day, but his wife is Christian and the state banquet took place in the evening at the breaking of the fast. An interfaith event was held at St George’s chapel, attended by the king and the president. Today, they will travel to London, where the president will hold talks with the Prime Minister in Downing Street, while his wife visits Lambeth Palace, where she will preach during a service in the chapel. In the afternoon, they will visit Tate Modern and then meet Nigerians living in Britain, before flying home this evening.
Call for MP to be sacked for comment on Muslims praying in Trafalgar Square
The Prime Minister has said that the MP Nick Timothy should be sacked for his attack on Muslims praying in Trafalgar Square. He raised the issue during Prime Minister’s questions yesterday. Nick Timothy is the shadow justice secretary, and he responded on Twitter / X to pictures of hundreds of Muslims praying at Trafalgar Square, as they joined together for an iftar at the end of a day of fasting during Ramadan. He said mass ritual prayer in public places is an “act of domination .. straight from the Islamist playbook” and is “not welcome in our public places and shared institutions”. Sir Keir Starmer told Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch: “If he was in my team, he’d be gone. It’s utterly appalling. She should denounce his comments and she should sack him”. Kemi Badenoch replied: “My shadow justice secretary is defending British values. I know who I would rather have sitting on the front bench next to me.”
Heaton Park synagogue reports increased attendance since the October attack
Attendance at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester is reported to have increased significantly in the weeks following the attack on 1 October last year, which left two people dead. Jewish News reports that Marc Levy, head of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester, said the attack had strengthened community life rather than diminished it. More than 1,500 people returned to the synagogue on the first Friday night service after the attack.
Archbishop Cherry Vann preaches unity in Paris visit, urging trust across divisions
The leader of the Church in Wales, Archbishop Cherry Vann, has visited the American Episcopalian Cathedral, preaching a sermon about looking beyond differences, and building relationships of trust. She was the first woman archbishop appointed in the United Kingdom and is the first openly lesbian archbishop in a civil partnership in the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal News Service (ENS) reports that in her sermon, she said that if relationship-building can happen in the context of gender, working with people opposed to women clergy, then it can happen in the context of sexuality and same-sex relationships. The cathedral dean, Mark Edington, who is also bishop of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, told ENS: “We can’t do much to stop mindless hate, but at least we can show our admiration and solidarity with Archbishop Vann by inviting her to the pulpit of the cathedral of the Episcopal Church in Europe — and we learned so much from her.”
Ramadan drawing to a close
Ramadan is expected to end tonight or on Friday, depending on when the new moon is sighted. It will mark the end of Islam’s holiest month, where people have fasted from sunrise to sunset, spent time studying, engaged in family and community life and given zakat, donations, to charity. The New Crescent Society is listing moon watching events in towns and cities across Britain from tonight.
