British cardinal compares abortion to Nazi eugenics

	Tweet

Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic has compared abortion to the eugenics of Nazi Germany, in comments which seem certain to push the issue back up the political agenda ahead of a widely expected general election.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor criticised abortion, euthanasia, embryo selection and embryonic research.

"In all these cases, the terrible truth is that it is the strong who decide the fate of the weak,” wrote Murphy-O’Connor, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.

“Human beings therefore become instruments in the hands of other human beings. That way lies eugenics, and we know from German history where that leads.

“We are already on that road: for what else is the termination of 6 million lives in the womb since the Abortion Act was introduced, and embryo selection on the basis of gender and genes.”

In drawing attention to the 6 million abortions carried out in Britain since the practice was legalised in 1967, the cardinal appeared to be making a deliberate comparison with the Nazi massacre of nearly 6 million Jews in the Holocaust.

His comments echoed those of Pope John Paul, who in his recently published book “Memory and Identity” described abortion as a “legal extermination” comparable to attempts to wipe out Jews and other groups in the 20th century.

The comparison sparked protests from Jewish groups. Responding to Murphy-O’Connor’s article, published on Easter Sunday, a spokesman for the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain said he strongly disagreed.

“It is somewhat disingenuous for him to use the image of the 6 million,” the spokesman told the Sunday Telegraph. “It is possible to be both religious and pro-choice.”

Earlier this month, Murphy-O’Connor helped propel abortion onto the political agenda ahead of an election expected on May 5 by saying he welcomed the stance of the opposition Conservative Party, which has said it will consider lowering the legal limit for abortion—currently 24 weeks after pregnancy.

The cardinal was criticised for wading into the political debate but, in his article on Sunday, said he was unrepentant.

“I am glad I spoke out, for a nerve was touched, and it gave the chance for many, many people—the majority according to a number of recent opinion polls—to express their unease at the thousands of abortions that take place each year in our country.”

Almost 200,000 terminations are performed annually in England and Wales, most in the early stages of pregnancy.

A recent poll in the conservative Daily Telegraph newspaper showed 55 percent of voters favoured reducing the legal limit.

Catholics make up only around 1 million of Britain’s 58 million strong population. But their stance on abortion has also found support among Britain’s much larger Protestant population. 

RELATED STORIES:
Silica issue clouds outlook for asbestos bill   Don’t Let Flu Season Stress You Out   Picture phones may make a doctor’s house calls   Euthanasia in Britain   UK to ban displays of cigarettes, tobacco in shops   Idaho couple can’t sue for wrongful birth: court   Marketing isn’t enough to combat childhood obesity   Bill and Melinda Gates put their money where it’s needed   U.N. health body sets sights on alcohol abuse   Anti-smoking policies for adults also reduce kids’ smoking   Researchers discover why measles spreads so quickly   Signs point to global influenza oubreak

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]