Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien, President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, has taken the unprecedented step of writing to every individual Member of Parliament.

The Cardinal's letter comes in advance of consideration by MPs of amendments which could further withdraw legal protection of unborn children.

The amendments, proposed for the Report Stage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, seek to permit abortion on request with the approval of only one doctor; and also to permit nurses and midwives to perform abortions.

Condemning the fact that these proposals will "make early abortion more readily available", Archbishop O'Brien stated: "We already have a shamefully high level of abortions in the UK."

He continued: "We face the prospect of making the UK more ubiquitous in Europe for its barbarity in dealing with the unborn...our spiraling abortion statistics are already a badge of shame for our nation."

Asking all 646 MPs to extend equality and anti-discrimination legislation to the child before birth, Cardinal O'Brien stated: "Now the ideologues would have us remove what little restraint there is in relation to abortion".