Following the jailing of a mother-of-three after she induced an abortion after the legal limit, Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues, has commented that abortion is always a tragic event.
Carla Foster, 44, received the medication after she had a remote consultation where she didn’t reveal how far along her pregnancy really was, which was between 32-34 weeks.
The scheme, “pills by post”, allows the home termination of pregnancies of up to 10 weeks and was introduced in lockdown.
Bishop Sherrington said: “Abortion is always a tragedy, both for the mother and for the child who is killed. The consistent teaching of the Catholic Church has always been that both must be protected.
“The recent case of the mother who aborted her child outside the parameters of the law is deeply distressing for all concerned, especially her other children. However, it is the responsibility of the judiciary to decide how the law should be applied, including the consideration of mitigating circumstances and sentencing.
“I offer prayers for all concerned.”
A day the Church dedicates to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life – is on Sunday 18 June this year.
The theme this year is ‘Listen to Her’ and focuses on post-abortion trauma and the impact of abortion primarily on women, but also men and others – this year’s message is a first as it is from a laywoman, “Jane”.
To read “Jane’s story”, click here: cbcew.org.uk/dfl23-message/
To read more about Day for Life, click here: cbcew.org.uk/day-for-life/
