Editing Abortion in the United Kingdom (section)

===Anglican===
The [[Church of England]] combines strong opposition to abortion with a recognition that there can be "strictly limited" conditions under which it may be morally preferable to any available alternative. This is based on its view that the foetus is a human life with the potential to develop relationships, think, pray, choose and love. The Church has suggested that the case for further reductions of the time limit for abortions should be "sympathetically considered on the basis of advances in neo-natal care" and has stated that every possible support, especially by church members, needs to be given to those who are pregnant in difficult circumstances.<ref>{{cite web |title=Abortion: Church of England Statements (summary paper) |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/Abortion%20Church%20of%20England%20Statements.pdf |website=www.churchofengland.org |date=29 November 2019 |publisher=Church of England |access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref>

Writing on the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Act, in 2007, the then [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] [[Rowan Williams]] commented that most parliamentarians who voted for the Act "did so in the clear belief that they were making provision for extreme and tragic situations" but that its implementation since then demonstrated unintended consequences. The strengthening of the language of 'foetal rights' (i.e. that "the pregnant woman who smokes or drinks heavily is widely regarded as guilty of infringing the rights of her unborn child") could be contrasted with "the liberty of the pregnant woman herself to perform the actions that will terminate a pregnancy."<ref>{{cite web |first1=Rowan |last1=Williams |title=Britain's abortion debate lacks a moral dimension |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/oct/21/comment.religion |website=www.guardian.com |publisher=The Observer |access-date=12 November 2022 |date=21 October 2007}}</ref>

The [[Church of Ireland]] – a province of the [[Anglican Communion]] alongside the Church of England – affirms that "every human being is created with intrinsic dignity in the image of God with the right to life." It has opposed the "extreme abortion legislation" imposed on Northern Ireland, asked that legislation is developed that safeguards the well-being of both the mother and unborn child, and encouraged its members to provide more support to mothers during pregnancy, particularly during times of crisis.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement of the Standing Committee on Northern Ireland abortion law and support for women in pregnancy |url=https://www.ireland.anglican.org/news/10719/statement-of-the-standing-committee |website=www.ireland.anglican.org |publisher=Church of Ireland |access-date=6 January 2022 |date=15 June 2021}}</ref> In relation to potential grounds for abortion, the Church recognises that there are "exceptional circumstances of strict and undeniable medical necessity where an abortion should be an option (or more rarely a necessity)."<ref>{{cite web |author1=Church and Society Commission of the Church of Ireland |title=Church of Ireland's Position on Abortion |url=https://ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Information/Submissions/CASC/150115_NI_AbortionLegislationResponse.pdf |page=4 |website=Church of Ireland |access-date=13 April 2016 |date=2015 |archive-date=24 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424215911/http://ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Information/Submissions/CASC/150115_NI_AbortionLegislationResponse.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>