‘Taking life from the unborn ... cannot be right’

THE Catholic Church in Scotland issued a statement on abortion, saying: “Taking life from the unborn ... cannot be right”.

While the statement said the rights of a woman were of “great concern”, it gave priority to the rights of the unborn child.

The Bishops said conflict from the debate on abortion rights should be handled with “respect and civility”.

The Catholic Bishops said: “Whether we believe in anything spiritual or not, the life that each one of us lives is the only one we have, and to take life from the unborn, no matter how insignificant in size, cannot be right.

“The rights of a woman and the compassion and support due to her, and the circumstances of her pregnancy, are naturally of great concern to us, but an unborn life, once taken, can never be restored. This is what makes abortion such a profoundly important matter for all human beings.”

Meanwhile, Scottish Humanists said they were pleased with the commitment of the First Minister to take action to prevent anti-abortion protests outside health care settings.

Humanist Society Scotland chair, Professor Maggie Kinloch, said: “We are pleased that the First Minister gave a commitment to take national action on protecting women from harassment rather than rely simply on local authority action.

“In addition our research unequivocally shows public backing for restricting protests that deliberately target individual healthcare service users. These protests are often orchestrated by ultra-conservative religious groups who believe a woman’s role in life is simply to be a mother.”