A leading Catholic bishop in Scotland has criticised the pro-choice lobby for attempting to “hide the truth” about the effects of abortion, stating that images of abortion "should not be suppressed" if the British public is to appreciate the reality of the procedure in its entirety.
The comments were made following the dismissal of public order charges against two pro-life campaigners, Andy Stephenson and Kathryn Sloane, who stood trial this month for showing images of aborted babies outside a BPAS abortion clinic in Brighton.
Expressing his support for the ruling, Bishop Joseph Devine said that the images were crucial in raising public awareness of the true nature of abortion in the same way that photographs of the Auschwitz Nazi camp “brought home the horrors of such evil catastrophes”.
He commented that the decision to acquit Andy and Kathryn was a victory for “freedom of speech and expression” and gave Christians across the UK “something to celebrate about”.
He added: “As other commentators have observed, such images should not be suppressed from the public consciousness any more than pictures of famine or the reality of war. If we cannot face the pictures, how can we conceive of endorsing the reality?”
“All who value freedom of speech and expression will welcome the dismissal of this case by the courts.
“I have no doubt that the publication of the photographs of the victims of Auschwitz and the Burma Railway brought home the horrors of such evil catastrophes far more effectively than a million pleading words. 200,000 abortions take place in Britain each year.
“Why is the pro-choice lobby so desperate to hide the truth about abortion from the public?”
Christina Summers
The bishop also went further to express his disapproval of the Green Party's decision to expel Christian counsellor Christina Summers after she voted against the Government’s proposals to legalise same-sex marriage, criticising the party for actively promoting the homosexual agenda whilst operating under the guise of an “environmental organisation”.
“At last, the mask has been torn away from the duplicitous Green Party that masquerades as an environmentalist organisation,” he said.
“For years it has operated under the cover of ‘saving the planet’ while publicly playing down its anti-religious faith, anti-democratic agenda.
“To seek to coerce loyalty to the party above loyalty to individual conscience calls to mind the worst kind of totalitarian politics.”
Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre, said:
“We welcome the intervention made by Bishop Devine who has shown remarkable courage in vocally supporting Andy, Kathryn and Christina. His firm stand against abortion and the growing intolerance of the secular lobby has set a strong example for the rest of the Church."
Source:
Resources:
Christian Concern: Victory for pro-lifers in key freedom of expression case
Christian Concern: Christian expelled from Green Group of Councillors