Every day in England and Wales, around 760 people will have an abortion. For most, it’s a private decision. Increasingly, though, the path to care is crowded, not just with protestors, but with an American-style culture war quietly staking a claim in British politics.
For women seeking abortion services across the UK, the final stretch of their journey to a clinic can be fraught in ways they hadn’t anticipated: crossing a pavement where strangers stand in silence, perhaps praying, offering leaflets or attempting to strike up conversation. There may be no shouting, placards, pushing or shoving, but these encounters can still feel intrusive and unsettling at one of the most vulnerable moments of a person’s life.
