Brittania rules again

International | British Prime Minister Blair calls abortion a personal matter, but members of his government are laboring to export into Ireland and Scotland a liberalized abortion law | Mindy Belz

Short of revelations about alleged offspring of Dodi Fayed or assertions from the bodyguard of Princess Diana's crumpled car, the Fleet Street press is still reeling from the demise of its most sensational news item. So much so that when British Prime Minister Tony Blair attended Roman Catholic mass-alone-several weeks ago, it went front page.

Mr. Blair is often seen entering Westminster Cathedral with his family. His wife Cherie is Catholic. The fact that he went unaccompanied, however, raised questions: Was the Anglican prime minister contemplating a conversion? Would a change of religious affiliation precipitate constitutional problems for the state-established Church of England? Would such a change provoke any personal change of heart? "If he did convert to Catholicism, he would have to review his positions on a whole range of ethical issues to conform to the church's teaching," said Martin Casey of Britain's Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.