The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales says people “of all faiths and none” will be “very disappointed” by the failure of yesterday’s free vote in parliament to reduce the upper time limit for abortion.

MPs opposed by 304 votes to 233 a move to reduce the abortion limit from 24 - 22 weeks, with the Prime Minister voting in favour of the current limit, and David Cameron, leader of the opposition voting against it. The Conservative MP Nadine Dorries had also proposed a lowering of the limit to 22 weeks, a move defeated by 332 votes to 190. Opening the debate, the Conservative MP Edward Leigh said: "In modern Britain the most dangerous place to be is in your mother's womb. It should be a place of sanctity." Three Roman Catholic cabinet ministers, Ruth Kelly, Paul Murphy and Des Browne voted in favour of cutting the limit to 12 weeks.

“This issue will not go away,” said Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor this morning. “Many people on all sides of this debate agree that 200,000 abortions a year is too many.”

The Christian Medical Fellowship said MPs had ignored widespread public support for a lowering of the 24 week limit. Peter Saunders, General Secretary of the Fellowship said: "Two out of three people, including three out of four women, and two out of three doctors have signalled their support for a lowering of the 24 week upper limit. By ignoring this change in public mood Parliament has demonstrated that it is seriously out of touch with the opinion of the British people on this issue.”

R David Muir, Public Policy Executive Director of the Evangelical Alliance said: “Just because science can do something doesn’t mean that it should, and when rights begin to be more associated with adult preferences than protection of the weak and vulnerable, then we should be concerned about the consequences for society.

The Cardinal added: " Abortion is not only a personal choice. It is also about the choices our society makes to support women, their partners and families who face difficult decisions. For the sake of our common humanity, and the lives at stake, we must work to foster a new understanding and approach to relationships, responsibility and mutual support. Even without a change in the law we can and should work together at least to make abortion much rarer."

His comments followed an interview yesterday with Ruth Gledhill, The Times’ religion correspondent in which he attacked a change in the law that will allow women to win the right to have children without fathers.

Yesterday, during debates on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, MPs voted to remove legal requirements for fertility clinics to consider a child’s need for a father. The Cardinal said: “I think it strange that the Government should want to take away not just the need for a father but the right for a father.” The consequence of the constant erosion of this was a loss of respect for the vital place of the family he said: “Anything by way of legislation, while it must protect people’s rights, must also have regard for the wider issues of what is for the good of society.”

To read Ruth Gledhill's interview with the Cardinal click here