UK Clerical Apostasy: Abortion Decriminalization Hailed as “Pastoral Progress”

EWTN News reports that the majority of peers in the U.K.’s House of Lords voted to decriminalize women who terminate their own pregnancies, removing criminal liability under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool expressed being “deeply distressed,” stating the move “is likely to lead to more late-term abortions putting pregnant women and their babies at risk,” and called for support for organizations aiding women. Baroness Rosa Monckton, who tabled an amendment to overturn the change, lamented the focus on maternal vulnerability over the “vulnerability of the unborn infant who has no voice.” Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark called it “a truly tragic moment for our nation,” questioning how legislation permitting abortion “right up until the moment of birth for any reason” can have a place in a civilized society. Sarah Mullally, archbishop of Canterbury, stated the Church of England’s “principled opposition” recognizes that abortion “may be preferable to any available alternatives” in complex situations. The article reveals a hierarchy mired in naturalistic humanism, utterly silent on the supernatural horror of abortion as mortal sin and the divine mandate for the state to enforce God’s law, thereby manifesting the apostasy of the post-conciliar sect.