The Westminster Parliament returns from its Easter recess tomorrow - Tuesday, 21 April. Debates will be held online to allow MPs and Peers to stick to the social distancing rules. With the Government making big decisions, Parliamentary scrutiny is more important than ever before.

The return of Westminster also means CARE's work intensifies even further. We wanted to draw your attention to a number of areas where we will be working hard, on your behalf. CARE exists to bring a Christian voice and witness into the corridors of power. This voice will be needed in the coming weeks, as the examples below show.

Firstly, there will be votes in the coming weeks on shocking and extreme new abortion regulations for Northern Ireland. The House of Lords will debate and then vote on them sometime in the week beginning 10 May to the 14 May. The House of Commons will also debate and vote on them. It cannot be underestimated how serious these votes are. If the votes pass, Northern Ireland will have an even more permissive abortion regime than in Great Britain. It is no exaggeration to say these are the biggest votes on abortion since 1967, when the Abortion Act became law. As you might imagine, we are hard at work with Parliamentarians, seeking to help them defend the unborn and promote the care of women. If we have a postal address for you then we will shortly be sending you a letter with more information, including practical action you can take.

There will also be key votes on other pieces of legislation. For example, the Domestic Abuse Bill – a vital piece of legislation – will be voted on. Unfortunately, some pro-abortion campaigners have made no secret that they want to use it to impose more liberal abortion in England and Wales. We must be vigilant, and CARE will speak out when the time comes. The Government’s flawed no-fault Divorce Bill also returns and again, our team is working with MPs to make the arguments for mitigating the worst parts of it.

As you can see, the return of Westminster brings with it many challenges. Please will you pray with us about these issues? We need God’s wisdom and favour. Those who are against us in these debates are more than those with us. But God can intervene, and in faith we will stand for God’s truth and justice.

Stay informed

If you do not already receive it, why not sign up to our weekly Impact Direct email which goes out every Friday at 5pm. To sign up, email us at mail@care.org.uk and ask to be added to the Impact Direct list. Alongside visiting our website, this is the best way to stay informed about all that is happening in Westminster and beyond on issues we all care about.

On a personal note, we are so grateful to all of you who support our work financially. We only ask people to give after first considering their own financial needs and the needs of their family and local church. Faced with such serious challenges, any generous gift you can give would be a great help. The easiest way is to give online or call our office on 07718494586. For your encouragement, we are sharing devotionals and prayers on our Facebook page from 08:45am, every Monday to Friday.