The two-child benefit cap has received a lot of publicity in recent weeks since the General Election, as it is a contributing factor to families experiencing poverty.
Catholic Social Action Network (CSAN) has long opposed the policy, citing research by the University of York indicating that the cap has ‘a negative impact on people’s mental health, increasing stress and anxiety, and harming their well-being, with knock-on effects on children’s opportunities and wellbeing.’ In its last Autumn Statement on the Cost-of-Living Crisis, the Department for Social Justice of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) has also called for the removal or suspension of the cap.
Poverty is also one of the biggest drivers of abortion in the UK, with even abortion providers such as British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) identifying the two-child cap as being ‘a significant factor’ in many women deciding to abort their children. The BPAS research was carried out in 2020 and confirmed that ‘Among women who were aware of the two-child limit and likely to be affected (women in receipt of Universal Credit or Tax Credits), 57% said that the policy was important in their decision-making around whether or not to continue the pregnancy.’
Among the things we can do as Catholics to effect change, address poverty and protect life is to support the community social action efforts of charities such as Catholic Care – Caritas Leeds, as well as writing to our local MPs to lobby at a national level.
This weekend – 10 and 11 August 2024 – the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) is asking Catholic parishioners to make our voices heard in Parliament and please consider signing a petition calling on the Government to end the two-child benefit cap.
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