Protests took place across the UK (Ashlee Ruggels/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Around 33 million American women are now at risk of losing access to abortion - but will the unelected Supreme Court stop there?
Clarence Thomas, 74, one of the justices in favour of overruling a woman’s right to abortion, wrote: “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell.” This is a reference to three other landmark cases from the Supreme Court which enshrined the right to contraception, the repeal of anti-sodomy laws and the legalisation of same-sex marriage.
“ââIt is completely understandable for people in the UK and around the world to feel scared about the future of abortion rights, and the safety and wellbeing of women in America,” says Katherine O’Brien, Associate Director of Communications and Campaigns at British Pregnacy Advisory Service (BPAS). “But we shouldn’t feel helpless – we can and should act.”
As the shockwaves ripple through the US and beyond, it’s left many with a sense of powerlessness and panic-stricken at what this now means for abortion rights across the world. Yet, it’s important to know that you can help from the UK. Here’s how...
DONATE TO A FUND
“You are not alone if you feel scared or helpless following the decision,” says Dani Anderson, fundraising and communications manager at Abortion Support Network, an organisation which supports people forced to travel for an abortion, mainly from Ireland, Poland, Northern Ireland, Malta, Gibraltar, and the Isle of Man. “Roe v Wade was hugely important, but it was not a panacea. It didn’t ensure access for everyone; there were still thousands of women who were being forced to travel for abortions, or being denied abortions. This means there are existing networks set up to do this work, which will need everyone’s support. The challenges are relentless, but so are abortion funders.”
In America the National Network of Abortion Funds work to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access. Some of the funds work with clinics to help pay for abortions, while others offer support such as transportation, childcare, translation, doula services, and somewhere to stay if an individual has to travel to get their abortion. Now more than ever they need extra funding to accommodate the influx of women who will be needing their services. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, 26 states look to have the most harsh abortion laws, including Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma and Tenesseee. Check out the National Network of Abortion Fund’s page of individual organisations if you’d rather donate to a specific group or state.
Other notable national funds to support are the Abortion Care Clinic – a national organisation which aims to support independent abortion care providers, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project.
SIGN PETITIONS AND LOBBY YOUR MP
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has launched a petition calling on foreign secretary Liz Truss to ask the UK government to publicly condemn the US Supreme Court draft opinion. BPAS said to overturn the 1973 ruling “[is] clearly a breach of human rights and an assault on women, their families and their lives”.
“We need our government to show leadership on the global stage, and make clear that the UK supports a woman’s right to choose,” continues O’Brien, a representative of the organisation. “It’s possible that the SCOTUS decision will embolden anti-choice campaigners here in the UK, and our abortion rights here are not a certainty,” continues Anderson on the importance of holding the UK government to account. “Abortion still falls under criminal law in England and Wales, and there are those who would like to see the limits to make it less accessible.” Conservative MP Danny Kruger, MP for Devizes, has already told the Commons the matter was “a proper topic for political debate” and that British politicians shouldn’t “lecture” their US counterparts. He said: “They think that women have an absolute right to bodily autonomy in this matter, whereas I think in the case of abortion that right is qualified by the fact that another body is involved.”
You can also join Global Citizen and call on governments to make new and timely funding and financing commitments to realize sexual and reproductive health and rights for all by signing this petition.
As well as signing Parliamentary petitions, you can also write to your local MP to ask that they support women’s reproductive rights. To find your MP, visit FindYourMP. You can also find a template letter to send to your representative here. Be sure to sign up to the UK’s all-party parliamentary group on sexual and reproductive health mailing list to keep up to date with specific news and events regarding the matter.
HAVE OPEN CONVERSATION
Discussing abortion can help break down the stigma and stop the spread of misinformation about the medical procedure. Since last Friday’s news, women around the world have been sharing their abortion stories on social media. Considering the myriad reasons why one in four women seek an abortion, demystifying the procedure is an important form of protest.
“We must not let up in our unapologetic support for abortion: any country is one election away from losing its abortion rights. Now is the time to be loudly, unapologetically pro-choice,” says Anderson.
What’s more, talking openly about why women choose to have abortions highlights why denying medical intervention is extremely dangerous — with many women sharing their experiences of ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage or uterine rupture which – without an abortion – would have been life threatening.
You can share your story at IHadAnAbortion.org, an organisation which is building a space for people to know what to expect from an abortion, or by tweeting #OurAbortionStories on Twitter.
REMEMBER TO SUPPORT WOMEN GLOBALLY
Anderson is quick to point out that this devastating ruling did not happen in isolation. “Many people in the UK might also be looking closer to home for ways to help, and it’s really important to remember that Northern Ireland still has no real abortion access. 161 people travelled to England for an abortion last year alone. Outside of the UK, Ireland’s laws are still leaving women behind, (here at ASN we help around 60 Irish women a year).
“Just last week a woman had to be airlifted from Malta to Spain as she was refused life-saving treatment during a miscarriage due to their total ban on abortion. Four Polish women travel for an abortion in another country every single day, many helped by Abortion Without Borders (asn.org.uk/donate). There are networks here that also need support,” she adds.
Other important European based funds to support are abortionrights.org.uk, europeabortionaccessproject.org and lifecharity.org.uk.
