As the United Kingdom marks 40 years since the 1967 Abortion Act, Edinburgh Cardinal Keith O'Brien has slammed the "pack of lies" behind the law saying that abortion in Scotland now kills the equivalent of two classrooms of children or two Dunblane massacres a day.The International Herald Tribune reports that Cardinal O'Brien also said yesterday that lawmakers who support Britain's abortion legislation should not take part in Holy Communion or remain full members of the church.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien called on his flock to "boycott" politicians who did not condemn the "unspeakable crime" of abortion. He made the remarks during a sermon in Edinburgh.
"In Scotland, we kill the equivalent of two classrooms of children every day, that's two Dunblanes a day," the cardinal said in reference to the Dunblane elementary school massacre in 1996 when 16 children were murdered by a gunman.
Speaking to politicians he said, "I speak most especially to those who claim to be Catholic. I ask them to examine their consciences and discern if they are playing any part in sustaining this social evil.
Cardinal O'Brien warned Catholic lawmakers not to cooperate because of the barrier "such co-operation erects to receiving Holy Communion."
"I call on you (the faithful) to hold these elected representatives to account," he said. "For those (lawmakers) unwilling to give this support we must be unwilling to give our vote."
The sermon to mark the 40th anniversary of the Abortion Act came two days after official figures showed abortion on the increase, from 12,603 in 2005 to 13,081 in 2006.
"In those 40 years the loss of life has been staggering. Around 7 million lives have been ended as a consequence of that one piece of legislation - the scale of the killing is beyond our grasp."
"In Scotland we kill the equivalent of a classroom full of school children every day," Cardinal O'Brien said, according to Catholic News.
He also lamented the way that the 1967 law was presented. "We were told that backstreet abortions were killing women and had to be decriminalised. We were told abortion would only be used in extreme cases. We were told medical scrutiny would be rigorous. We were told a pack of lies and misinformation masquerading as compassion and truth."
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