Press Release: Enough is enough, Abortion Rights campaign calls for Matt Hancock to intervene on clinic protests

Enough is enough, Abortion Rights campaign calls for Matt Hancock to intervene on clinic protests

Abortion Rights is calling for Health Secretary Matt Hancock to intervene after anti-choice protestors gathered outside a British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinic in Upper Tollington Park, North London, on Saturday.

This is just the latest in a spate of targeted harassment by anti-choice protestors against women seeking routine reproductive healthcare.

We also note that there are protests planned throughout Lent outside a clinic in Stapleford in Nottingham, and there have been similar protests outside a clinic in Liverpool. According to the Back Off campaign, there have been 44 such incidents across the UK since September 2018.

Kerry Abel, Chair of the Abortion Rights campaign said:

‘Anti-choice protestors, who show no regard for the reasons why women may be attending abortion clinics, are gathering outside abortion clinics in increasingly organised groups.

‘This is not acceptable. If they want to protest long held law on abortion, they should take it to the government – not attempt en masse to intimidate women trying to access healthcare information. Healthcare is a fundamental human right.

‘As well as the call for buffer zones to alleviate the situation, we are calling on Health Secretary Matt Hancock to take action. He has a duty to ensure everyone can access legal healthcare free from harassment and intimidation – which this clearly is.

‘We’ve started a petition for the public to sign and we hope to meet Matt to discuss this at the earliest opportunity.’

Abortion Rights offers its solidarity to the clinic staff and women attending the affected clinics.

Ends

Notes to Desk:

Media contact for comment and interviews: Kerry Abel, National Chair, Abortion Rights (07979 535242)

Abortion Rights is the UK pro-choice campaign, working to defend and extend abortion rights and provide a pro-choice voice to the media.
Our petition is available online here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/enough-is-enough-on-clinic-protests
One in three women will have an abortion by the time she is 45.
In the UK, three-quarters of people support a woman’s right to choose.
Please visit our website www.abortionrights.org.uk and follow us on Twitter @Abortion_Rights