by Lois McLatchie Miller, Premier Christianity
Church of England bishops have a significant opportunity this week to guide our nation toward more godly laws, says Lois Mclatchie-Miller. Will they take it?
The Church of England enjoys a constitutional privilege that no other denomination in Britain possesses: 26 bishops sit automatically in the House of Lords, with the power to vote on legislation shaping the future of our nation.
For years, this power has been the subject of growing scrutiny. In an age suspicious of inherited privilege, many ask why unelected church leaders should automatically hold seats in the legislature. The usual answer is that the bishops are there to offer a moral voice – to reflect the Christian foundation of the country, and remind Parliament that good law should protect and uphold human dignity.
If that argument is to mean anything, it must be proven in moments of real moral consequence. This week is one of them.
On Wednesday, the House of Lords is expected to vote on amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill that could determine whether abortion is to be decriminalised all the way up to birth in the UK. The amendment would remove the legal deterrents which currently prevent women at late stages of pregnancy from obtaining abortion pills over the phone and self-administering them at home – a move that not only kills their baby, but poses serious risks to their own health.
The amendment was originally campaigned for on the grounds that a small number of women have been prosecuted in recent years for having these kinds of illegal abortions. Carla Foster, for example, went to prison for 35 days in 2023 for ending her baby’s life at home at around 33 weeks (almost 8 months) of pregnancy.
(NB: The Archbishop of Canterbury will not be casting her vote on Wednesday)
Update: It now appears that the Archbishop will in fact be present to vote on Wednesday.
Anglican Futures has been informed by @lambethpalace that the Archbishop of Canterbury @ArchbishopSarah will be present in the Lords to vote on Wednesday.