The joint statement on abortion from the two cardinals of the Catholic Church in Britain, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster and Cardinal Keith O'Brien of Edinburgh, signals a welcome change of tone in the Church's treatment of this vexed issue. Speaking on behalf of their two bishops' conferences, the cardinals recognise much more explicitly than previous Church statements that the debate has to be won outside Parliament before it can be won inside. Indeed, they suggest that a change in public attitudes would reduce the abortion rate even if the law remained the same. Nevertheless, incremental changes to the law, such as reducing the time limit on abortions below the 24 weeks the law currently allows, are still worth fighting for.

But even more notable than this is their compassionate recognition that women sometimes see abortion as a desperate solution to a desperate situation. "For many women," they say, "it is one in which they, perhaps even as much as their unborn child, will have been the victim. This is why we believe that abortion is not only a personal choice, it is about the choices our society makes to support women, their partners and families in these situations."

The late Cardinal Winning of Glasgow sometimes spoke of abortion as "murder", a word full of blame and judgement. Yet he was outstanding in the help he gave to desperate women, and the two cardinals clearly wish to build on his example and offer the Church's practical and pastoral support to isolated and frightened women who are pregnant in unfavourable circumstances. As the cardinals point out, far from being pro-choice, abortion is often about women who feel that they have no choice. There is a lot more the Church and other institutions can do to change that.

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There is something peculiar about the current proceedings of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, which is taking evidence on whether there is a need for a change in the abortion law. Not only has the committee decided to disregard moral and ethical arguments and concentrate only on the "scientific evidence", but a sustained attempt has been made to discredit those expert witnesses who happen ...