This week has proved that the fight for abortion rights is far from over
As the Chair of Abortion Rights, I am often asked why my organisation is still needed in 2019.
This week has been proof of why.
We’ve seen the High Court ruling that Northern Ireland’s archaic abortion laws breach the UK’s human right commitments, while also witnessing the disgusting harassment of Stella Creasy in her constituency, with anti-choice bullies putting up billboards with vile, misleading images they claim to be of foetuses.
Luckily, there are people who are still fighting for a woman’s right to choose. The welcome news of the High Court ruling is thanks to the brave campaigning of Sarah Ewart – a woman who was refused an abortion in the region – even when it was clear that her pregnancy was not viable.
Those who seek to keep abortion restricted in Northern Ireland would rather women like Sarah put their own lives at risk. They also show little consideration for the women forced to carry a foetus to term knowing that it will not survive.
Sarah called her landmark case a turning point for women fighting outdated laws – and we stand with her.
Anti-choice campaigners may claim to care about ‘unborn children’, but time and again it becomes clear that they are driven purely by the desire to victimise and control women.
This is evidenced by the harassment of Stella Creasy by the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CBRUK), the British arm of notorious American anti-choice group who are in favour of forced pregnancies.
Stella, who is pregnant, said she felt ‘physically sick’ when she saw her picture blown up next to a graphic image of what was claimed to be a ’24-week-old dead baby girl’ in Walthamstow.
CBRUK’s position that ‘abortion represents an evil’, is so abhorrent that words fail us. When attempting to describe its horror, all that can be said is that they’re woefully out of step with public opinion.
According to the British Social Attitudes Survey, there is significant support for a woman’s right to choose.
It revealed 93 per cent of the British public support abortion when the pregnant person’s health is endangered, while 70 per cent support it if the woman does not want a child.
But these pressure groups are becoming worryingly active in the UK.
Often funded by far-right American anti-choice groups and wealthy donors, they have the cash at their disposal to mobilise the anti-choice minority to mimic US harassment campaigns outside clinics across the UK.
While some councils have introduced buffer zones to ensure that women are able to safely access essential healthcare free from intimidation, this has yet to be replicated across the rest of the country.
When MPs are being harassed at work, women are being intimidated in the street and people seeking abortions in the UK are threatened with a life sentence in prison for taking an abortion pill they bought online, it couldn’t be clearer why I – and plenty of other activists – are fighting for a woman’s right to choose.
We don’t have the big bucks that the anti-choice movement have but we will keep on fighting for abortion rights.
Make a donation to Abortion Rights here.
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