ARCHBISHOP VINCENT NICHOLS'S STATEMENT ON ABORTION

EDM number 1493 in 2008-09, proposed by Ann Winterton on 14/05/2009.
Categorised under the topics of Broadcasting, Health services and Religion and faith communities.

That this House welcomes the statement from His Grace the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham, calling on Catholics to do all they can to oppose the proposition to advertise abortion and condoms to children as young as 10 years old through television and radio; notes the claim of the Department of Health that its aim in promoting abortion and contraception among teenagers including under-age children is to lower the rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in England and Wales; further notes the whole project has cost millions of pounds and is the biggest campaign of its kind carried out by any government in Western Europe; further notes that the main result appears to be to sexualise children with the consequence that the UK has the highest number of sexually active children of 15 and under resulting in the highest rate of teenage pregnancies, abortions and sexually-transmitted infections; further notes that a vast majority of citizens other than Catholics are appalled by the present policy; suggests to the Archbishop that any future statements of a similar nature should be addressed to all peoples of goodwill and not only to Catholics; further notes that the groups benefiting mainly from the current policies cover the abortion and contraceptive industries; and calls on the Government to publish annually the financial turnover of the abortion and contraceptive groups, companies and associated charities.

This motion has been signed by a total of 8 MPs.