Cardinal O'Brien to Britain: Let Scotland Make its Own Laws on Abortion

LifeSiteNews.com ^ | June 12, 2007 | Elizabeth O’Brien

[monomaniac]

EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 12, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, stated yesterday that the Parliament of Scotland should be able to decide important national issues such as abortion for itself, the Scotsman reports.

Cardinal O’Brien indicated that the recent turn-over in the government of Scotland reflects a growing dissatisfaction among Scottish citizens about the limits that are currently in place on the Scottish Parliament. He was referring to the May 3 elections in which the Scottish National Party (SNP), the party working for independence from Britain, was voted into power, replacing the formerly popular Scottish Labor Party.

Since the Scottish Parliament was re-established after a 1997 referendum, ending a 300-year-old merger of the Scottish and British parliaments, the parliament has been limited in the issues it may decide to areas of education and training, local government, economic development, health and environment, sports and the arts. Even within these areas the United Kingdom Westminster Court has the power to over-rule decisions and to decide major controversial topics.

Recently, Cardinal O’Brien called for the local Scottish parliament to be able to rule on abortion within the country as well as to have an official say on Trident, UK’s nuclear armament system. Both issues have caused a great deal of controversy within Scotland.

The Scotsman quotes the Archbishop saying, “It was as if Scotland wasn't grown-up enough to deal with something like Trident, adoption or abortion, and I think voters were fed up of that.” “In many ways, people have been disappointed with what has come out of the Scottish Parliament... and they are looking for a greater lead from our Scottish Parliament and Executive.”

Less than two weeks ago, the Cardinal also spoke out against abortion in St. Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh. During a homily on the 40th anniversary of the Abortion Act, he said that pro-abortion politicians who call themselves Catholics may not expect to receive Holy Communion. Condemning abortion as an “unspeakable crime” and the “wanton killing of innocents”, he also described the misinformation that has spread about abortion, saying, “We were told a pack of lies – lies and misinformation masquerading as compassion and truth.” (See http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/may/07053102.html)

Related coverage:

Edinburgh Cardinal Blasts Scottish Parliament for “Unjust and Immoral Laws” on the Family http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/oct/05101108.html

UK: Rising Number of Abortions Confirm Need to Change 1967 Law http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/aug/06080107.html

Abortion-Loving British Media Furious Over Catholic Bishops’ Intensified Opposition http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jun/07060403.html

[Gideon T. Reader]

Should Scotland require any assistance in further legislating or interpreting existing law, we in the US have an idiot (without the savant part)Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa) who is a self proclaimed expert on scottish law.
We will gladly let you have him for FRee.
For forever!!

[Cuchulain]

During the Clinton Impeachment trial instead of voting guilty or not guilty, Specter voted “not proven” citing Scottish Law. A United States senator voting as if he were in Scotland. No wonder the U.S. is in trouble with these morons running the country...into the ground.

[SandRat]

Do I hear and feel the Spirit of William Wallce?
Do I hear the pipes ccalling the Clans?

[Grizzled Bear]

Could you recommend a reliably accurate book about William Wallace?

[presently no screen name]

A United States senator voting as if he were in Scotland. .

How that was ever accepted as a vote, I will never know. They should have kept his feet to the fire and made him vote like he knew he should guilty/not guilty. They are all spineless clowns. They must laugh their butts off at what they get away with as they play us for fools.

[SandRat]

I would begin at this url http://www.electricscotland.com/history/wallace.htm devouring its contents on the main body of the page.

Poceed to this url http://www.scotlandspast.org/wallaceID1.cfmand from there to - this url http://www.clanmcalister.org/wallace.html.

A lot of reading but it from the Scots and not some silly Yank Professor.

[Grizzled Bear]

A lot of reading but it from the Scots and not some silly Yank Professor.

---

Thanks! That’s EXACTLY what I was looking for!

[SandRat]

By the way sept DrayDin of Clan Douglas as well as clan Maclaren as a Woodbadge holder in Scouting.

[britemp]

This Specter bloke must be pretty dumb - ‘not proven’ is a judgement in a scottish court of law, not a voting option in the scottish parliament!