The newly-designated Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, has rejected the “pro-choice” label in an attempt to quell criticism from pro-life advocates. But her refusal to outright condemn abortion will likely deepen concerns among pro-life advocates about her abortion views.
“I am aware that I have in the past been labelled as ‘pro-choice’ — perhaps because of my previous career — but this is a complex debate, and I don’t think my or others’ views can be so simply categorized,” Mullally said Wednesday.
The Church of England leader added: “I support the Church of England’s principled opposition to abortion, which comes with a recognition that there can be strictly limited conditions under which abortion may be preferable to any available alternatives.”
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Mullally didn’t explain what if any situations make it so a baby should be killed in an abortion. She also stopped short of a full Biblical position that killing babies in abortions is wrong.
She emphasized compassion, saying, “Above all else, women facing unwanted pregnancies require compassion and care, and a path that supports them. They are confronted with the hardest of choices, and they must be supported.”
While that’s true, support doesn’t include promoting abortion and viewing killing babies as a viable solution to a difficult pregnancy circumstance.
Mullally, 63, a former Bishop of London and England’s Chief Nursing Officer from 1999 to 2004, has faced scrutiny from pro-life groups over past statements that appeared to endorse abortion.
In a 2012 blog post, she wrote, “I would suspect that I would describe my approach to this issue as pro-choice rather than pro-life,” adding, “although if it were a continuum I would be somewhere along it moving towards pro-life when it relates to my choice and then enabling choice when it related to others.”
These remarks have fueled accusations that Mullally’s leadership signals the church’s “support for killing babies in abortions,” a stance critics argue contradicts biblical principles affirming life from conception.
Her confirmation last month to succeed Justin Welby, who resigned in 2024, has intensified debate within the church’s 25 million baptized members.
