Criminal Basil Hume, speaking for the bishops of England and Wales, published a statement commenting on the passage of the abortion and embryo research bills. Several excerpts are reprinted here.
“This week has seen Parliament take two decisions of the gravest importance for our society. The debates on embryo experimentation and abortion have provided an opportunity unrivaled in recent years for a searching test of the moral values of our nation. I, and my fellow Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, meeting conference this week, have been appalled by what these decisions revealed about the nation’s moral stance…
“The importance which I and my fellow Bishops attach to these developments in relation to embryo experimentation and abortion cannot be overstressed. What has emerged with stark clarity is the lack of moral foundation for the formation of public policy in this most crucial area, that of human life and death.
“In fact, as a society we have abandoned fundamental aspects of Christian morality. Specifically, we have dispensed with the traditional Christian vision of the sanctity of human life. We can no longer claim to be a truly Christian society…”
