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Last week, Parliament voted for two bills that change the ethical bedrock upon which our laws and institutions have evolved. In voting for assisted dying and decriminalising abortion up to birth, many believe the near-absolute principle that forbids the intentional killing of the innocent has been set aside. This is rooted in Christian beliefs about the sanctity and dignity of human life, but it has persisted through the process of secularisation. It provides a restraint on the conduct of war, and is intrinsic to the idea of universal human rights.

Abortion and assisted dying arouse passionate convictions and sensitive emotions – and there are fervent proponents on both sides of the debate. They elude the luxury of certainty. To reflect on the distress of terminal illness and unwanted or unviable pregnancies is to confront our humanity at its most vulnerable. No law can ultimately protect us from the suffering that is part of every human life. Many hold different views with often painful personal stories - mine are those of a Christian and a feminist.

An open letter by women of faith focused on the impact of the assisted dying bill on victims of domestic violence. Women who are expected to provide for all the needs of their husbands and families become particularly vulnerable to coercive control when they, the carers, become seriously ill and need care. The threat of domestic violence increases when women are sick or pregnant.

Women who self-abort late in pregnancy might no longer face prosecution, but anybody who assists them can be prosecuted. A woman who, for whatever reason, ends a pregnancy outside the law must do so alone to avoid implicating others in what would for them be a criminal act. Whilst the vast majority of terminations happen within the 24 week window in some extreme cases where women seek a late termination they may now have to give birth with no help to a fully developed baby, , and must cope with the consequences.

I believe that Christians must be attentive to those who are most vulnerable to the unintended consequences of laws that prioritise the desires of the many over the needs of the few. Cardinal Vincent Nichols once said that Christian social justice works by multiplication, not addition. If one person is of zero value, then nobody is of value. That, for me, is food for thought in these most challenging times.

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