The Church of England encourages people to think through the issue of abortion very carefully and recognises that each individual will have differing views on the subject.
However, the Church's governing body, The General Synod, has passed resolutions on the matter which provide a coherent Church of England position.
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.
General Synod
The Church of England shares the Roman Catholic view that abortion is 'gravely contrary to the moral law'. As the 1980 statement of the Board of Social Responsibility put it:
In the light of our conviction that the foetus has the right to live and develop as a member of the human family, we see abortion, the termination of that life by the act of man, as a great moral evil.
We do not believe that the right to life, as a right pertaining to persons, admits of no exceptions whatever; but the right of the innocent to life admits surely of few exceptions indeed.
Church of England Board of Social Responsibility, 1980
However, this statement does acknowledge that under some circumstances abortion could be permissible. The 1983 resolution of Synod, after expressing concern about the number of abortions in recent years went on to recognise:
That in situations where the continuance of a pregnancy threatens the life of the mother a termination of pregnancy may be justified and that there must be adequate and safe provision in our society for such situations.
Church of England General Synod, 1983
The Church of England is concerned about the number of abortions carried out each year in this country.
Resolutions of the General Synod have consistently sought to narrow the grounds on which abortion is carried out and have maintained that the law has been