Forthcoming event in London in support of abortion rights

Abortion Rights : Defend abortion rights – join the national lobby of parliament! – 7th May

• no attack on the 24 week time limit
• for a woman’s right to choose

3-6pm lobby of Parliament
7pm public meeting (venue tbc)

Initial major supporters include: fpa, TUC, STUC, NUS, UNISON, UNITE the union, GMB, PCS, NAPO, ASLEF, RMT and FBU

This will be an important opportunity to make sure MPs feel the strength of pro-choice opinion ahead of key votes on abortion in the House of Commons. Please put the date in your diary, make an appointment with your MP, start organising transport and encourage friends, and colleagues to join you!

To identify and contact your MP visit upmystreet or call the House of Commons on 020 7219 3000. Alternatively you can write to your MP at House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

To add your organisation as a supporter of the event or to let us know if you can attend either the lobby of the rally, please email us.

Please download the lobby flyer to photocopy and distribute widely.

Source: Women in London website

Abortion Rights : Women’s needs must remain centre of abortion time limit debate

Responding to the findings of a new study from University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) into survival rates for babies born alive between 22 and 25 weeks, Louise Hutchins, Campaign Coordinator of Abortion Rights said:

“The central issue on abortion rights, including rights to later abortion, remains the needs and individual circumstances of women. While holding in reserve our opinion of this study, which is in conflict with other studies and other scientific investigations into foetal survival including in Parliament, women’s rights to abortion cannot ever be simply determined by scientific findings.

A tiny proportion, less than 1 per cent, of abortions take place between 21 and 24 weeks and they are needed by women facing the most exceptional and difficult circumstances. These include women who did not know they were pregnant until later on because they were consistently using contraception or were nearing the menopause, women delayed or ‘lost’ in the system by the NHS, women facing profound ‘denial’ associated with trauma such as rape and incest, or catastrophic life circumstances such as domestic violence or a crisis with an existing child. Neither the women, nor the doctors involved take the decision lightly.

It is absolutely crucial that parliament respects the needs of the small number of women concerned and resists pressure from the minority anti-abortion lobby to chip away at women’s abortion rights.”

Abortion Rights will be campaigning throughout the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, currently in Parliament, to defend women’s current rights and to maximise any opportunities to advance the law for women, to end unacceptable barriers to accessing services.

An opinion poll commissioned by Abortion Rights in October 2007 to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Abortion Act showed 83 per cent support a woman’s right to make her own abortion decision. This finding is in line with previous polls over a number of years.
Source: Women in London

 

If you want to learn more about Abortion Rights organisation and its coming actions in support of women’s choice to abort, VISIT ITS WEBSITE