Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth has expressed dismay at efforts to ban pro-life vigils outside an abortion clinic in his diocese.
The bishop said a recent decision by Portsmouth City Council was part of “ever more draconian restrictions” on freedom of religious expression.
The council voted 33-1 to do “all within its powers” to prevent pro-life vigils outside an abortion clinic in Milton, Portsmouth. It follows a similar step by Ealing council in west London and comes as pro-abortion politicians heap pressure on the Government to impose “buffer zones” outside all abortion clinics.
Last week Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, became the latest high-profile figure to back a crackdown on pro-life vigils, adding his voice to that of Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, and Vince Cable, the leader of the Lib Dems.
Last month Bishop Egan attended the vigil that Portsmouth councillors are seeking to criminalise. At the time he tweeted: “Please pray for the brave participants and for an end to abortion.”
Responding to the council vote, Bishop Egan said: “I am personally very sorry about this. The Portsmouth 40 Days for Life was a peaceful witness in which we offered prayers for the unborn, for mothers facing difficult choices, for medical staff, for families and for a change to the abortion law. We will have to continue this now in other forms.
“The council’s decision is yet another example of the ever more draconian restrictions being placed by our so-called liberal society on freedom of religious expression. With the current tides of regulation, it will become ever more difficult for Catholics to live out and witness to their faith.”
Both Portsmouth and Ealing councils are considering the use of public spaces protection orders (PSPOs). These are broad powers, created in 2014, that can criminalise behaviour not normally seen as criminal.
At City Hall last week Sadiq Khan praised the Ealing decision, saying it was a “good example of a local solution”.
“I am very supportive of local authorities using enforcement tools at their disposal in an appropriate and targeted way and this is a good example of a local solution,” he said, adding that he fully supported the council’s motion.
On the same day Mr Khan tweeted: “I support the right to protest – but when protest turns into harassment of women accessing their rights, something needs to be done.”
The Good Counsel Network, a pro-life group which holds vigils outside the Marie Stopes clinic in Ealing, has denied all accusations of harassment.
Clare McCullough, the group’s founder, said: “Harassment is a crime. If we were harassing anyone we would be arrested. In fact, what we’re trying to do is help women to have an alternative, if they’re willing to accept it.” She said hundreds of women had accepted help outside the clinic in Ealing.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s bishops have written to their government asking for a dialogue on abortion. Their letter came after ministers announced plans to allow women to take an abortion pill, misoprostol, at home without any medical support.
The bishops said: “Making abortion easier ignores the disturbing reality that an innocent human life is ended.
“With our shared desire to protect humanity, to tackle the damage done by abortion, and to give each individual every opportunity to flourish, we believe that we have a starting point for dialogue.”
Union leader seeks new Manning
A trade union leader is calling for a “modern-day Cardinal Manning” to support McDonald’s workers in their fight for better treatment.
In her speech at a Vatican conference today, Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, is expected to say that the demands of striking McDonalds staff – “stuck on low pay and zero-hours contracts” – were the same as those of dockers whom Cardinal Manning supported 150 years ago.
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