A year in view: 2022-2023

Society for the Protection of Unborn Children

A year in view 2022 – 2023

Welcome from Christine Hudson

I am pleased to invite you to read this review of SPUC’s work in the last twelve months.

The work we do is unremitting. It will never end until the life of every unborn baby is defended and protected. You can follow this work every day through our website and various social media channels. I invite you to subscribe to these channels and especially our email list to ensure you are given full and timely information on our various initiatives and campaigns, especially when these come up before parliament and we need you to engage with your Member of Parliament. SPUC has been at the forefront of the battle against the destruction of innocent human life for over half a century. Our commitment remains undiminished and, in fact, our efforts have never been stronger.Through your generosity, we have been able to take on new and very able staff so that SPUC continues to grow and develop, finding ever-new ways to promote the message of life. This report gives you an insight into our work. Our efforts are greatly dependent on the cooperation of our wide range of collaborators and supporters. Thank you for being one of them.

A letter from John deigHan

It is over a year since I have been passed the baton from my predecessor, John Smeaton, to lead this wonderful organisation in fighting for the precious right to life.

John was absolutely dedicated to fighting the culture of death. His determination to stand for justice and use every means possible to advocate for the victims of abortion has allowed SPUC to grow to be the biggest pro-life organisation in the UK. It has been a privilege for me to take over the role of CEO of an organisation which so dearly values life.

I began my active involvement with SPUC as chairman of the East Kilbride branch in the mid-90s. It is hard to believe that almost 30 years later the threats to unborn life have only multiplied. A darkening of consciences and hardening of hearts has been widespread as the killing of the unborn has continued unabated. The daily loss of life has never ceased to shock me.

Christine Hudson Chairperson of SPUC Executive May 2023

I’ve the great fortune to have seven children and know how precious each life is and how natural it is for families to want to protect life at its most vulnerable stage. In 2022, this was brought forcefully home to me as I’ve welcomed my first grandchildren into the world; twins Joseph and Benedict.They provide an incentive if ever that were needed that every life we save involves a unique person of inestimable value.

For supporters of SPUC that truth drives us on to overcome the scourge of abortion

but we are opposed by a powerful lobby of abortion advocates. Some inhuman drive propels them to call for ever more licence to kill the defenceless. Thus we have witnessed abortion campaigners get ever more extreme in their political aims.

A hard-core minority is desperate for abortion to birth; they are supported by an also small but vociferous minority who will lie and distort to vilify those who simply want to value every life. Since the landmark decision in the USA which overturned the Roe v Wade judgment at the heart of the abortion regime, we have seen an intensification of

Continued on page 4

John deigHan

misinformation and genuine hate-mongering from those who want to celebrate abortion.

Despite that judgment taking place across the Atlantic and resulting in an apparent hardening of pro-abortion attitudes, I believe the position is much more nuanced. It is a small number of people who lead opinion in our country and they seem to have built an enclosed echo chamber consisting of the mainstream media and the political elite. Our work at SPUC allows us to be in touch with a much wider audience than their echo chamber.

Abortion has never been so much in the news; the current shrill debate will have to give way to reason, and reason is on our side. More young people than ever before are willing to challenge the received wisdom of the cultural elites. We are seeing pro-life support start to grow again after a time of decline.

The compassion of the pro-life cause is winning hearts, the reasonableness of our case is winning minds, the extremes of our opponents are giving more people a sense that something is wrong.

The work and the initiatives that this report briefly touched on are but a glimpse of an extraordinary amount of work and progress that SPUC is achieving every day through our staff, active volunteers and supporters. I hope it gives you some hope that you are involved with an organisation that is making meaningful progress in advancing the cause of life and working towards a world where abortion is unthinkable.

WHAT DEFInES US

1. Justice

2. Kindness

3. Professionalism

4. Leadership

5. Integrity

John Deighan CEO SPUC May

2023

• Political activism

• Social influence

• Education

• Youth outreach

• Grassroots engagement

• Legal challenges

• Serving women in need

A

A world where abortion is unthinkable.

MISSIOn SPUC engages in a serious and wide range of activities, leading the fight and campaign for justice for the unborn.

SPUC is a campaigning organisation which has been fighting for the right to life for the last 55 years. The Society’s supporters work on the frontline, mobilised by SPUC to lobby MPs, write letters, deliver leaflets and much more. Our supporters give a voice to the voiceless, vulnerable members of society in the political arena.

We are a grassroots organisation, which means that we are uniquely placed to rally pro-life support at vital moments. We are able to respond rapidly to anti-life measures which come before the parliaments around the UK. 2022 - 2023 has proved as busy and as decisive a year as ever.

DIY abortion: The victory, the defeat and the commitment

Do-it-yourself abortions are one of the most dangerous and deadly developments in recent years. Introduced as a temporary measure in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, allowing women to self-administer their own abortions at home has changed the face of abortion provision in the UK.

SPUC ran a hard-hitting campaign to overthrow this measure. In particular, we mobilised hundreds of pro-life citizens to respond to Government consultations in England, Scotland and Wales. We also took a leading role in partnering with other pro-life organisations to maximise the impact.

In February 2022 we saw the outcome of the Westminster consultation. This was the victory. The results were phenomenal. Out of 18,834 responses, 70% said that DIY abortion

should end immediately. Only 22% said that the scheme should be made permanent. The victory appeared to hold, when, in the face of this result, the Government announced that the DIY abortion scheme would be scrapped. However, defeat came when abortion providers and their allies in Parliament hijacked a Government Bill to make the measure permanent in a late-night vote. And on 30 August 2022, DIY abortion was made a permanent policy in England and Wales.

In Scotland the SnP announced, in May 2022, its decision to continue DIY home abortion.

SPUC remains committed to exposing the danger of DIY abortion and campaigning to end this state-sponsored back-street abortion.

Defending pro-life freedoms in England

SPUC has been at the forefront of defending the freedom of pro-life citizens to gather peacefully in front of abortion facilities to pray and offer help to women.

During 2022 - 2023 the campaign intensified when, in october 2022, pro-abortion MP Stella Creasey tabled an amendment to the Public order Bill to bring in buffer zones around abortion facilities in England. This amendment called for a prison sentence for anyone praying quietly and offering last-minute help to vulnerable, sometimes desperate women. This illiberal and cruel measure was approved in the House of Lords in January 2023, with the penalty now being unlimited fines rather than jail. And in March 2023 the Commons voted into law a ban on life-saving pro-life vigils in England.

But this is not the full story. The full story is about SPUC’s real campaigning power. SPUC mobilised thousands of supporters to lobby their MP and members of the House of Lords.

We played a pivotal role in giving pro-lifers the tools and the confidence to make their voices heard in the right way and at the right time. Without SPUC, on 7 March 2023, many fewer than 116 MPs in Westminster would have voted to show their opposition to buffer zones.

The House of Lords

The House of Lords plays a crucial role in our legislative process. SPUC has long recognised the need to make the voice of the pro-life community in the UK much louder in the upper house. In the last year SPUC has developed an online campaigning tool which enables prolifers to lobby members of the House of Lords. This was particularly important during the passage of the Public Order Bill which was hi-jacked to introduce so-called buffer zones around abortion clinics in England.

One of the most dangerous and deadly developments

The freedom to offer help to women

Saving freedom and lives in Scotland

During the last year there has been fierce opposition to pro-life vigils in Scotland. A bill proposed by Gillian Mackay MSP aims to bring in buffer zones around facilities that provide abortions in Scotland.

Ms Mackay’s proposals would criminalise all pro-life activities in the vicinity of abortion facilities. If this Bill becomes law, anyone taking part in a pro-life vigil in Scotland would be subject to a six-month jail sentence for a first offence, and up to two years in prison for subsequent breaches.

During 2022 hundreds of pro-lifers in Scotland responded to SPUC’s call to respond to the public consultation on the Bill. SPUC produced a comprehensive guide to help people complete the consultation. Such was the response that at the time of writing this report the results of the consultation have still not been published.

Yet again, we were able to act quickly and effectively to guide and advise supporters on how to make their pro-life views known in the consultation.

Assisted suicide: Keeping Scotland safe

Scotland is yet again facing the deadly threat of a bill to make assisted suicide legal.

In 2022 MSP Liam McArthur (Scottish Liberal Democrat, Orkney) introduced a bill to legalise assisted suicide. The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is extremely dangerous. Every elderly, sick or disabled person in Scotland will be at risk if this Bill is passed into law.

SPUC has a crucial role in the fight against assisted suicide. People who care passionately about unborn children being killed by abortion, also care passionately about vulnerable people of all ages being helped to kill themselves (assisted suicide) or being given a lethal injection (euthanasia).

During 2022 - 2023 SPUC has enabled people in Scotland to speak out against assisted suicide. Our dedicated online tool makes it possible for supporters to contact all eight of their MSPs with the vital message that assisted suicide must not be made legal.

Resisting assisted suicide

england. In the last year, SPUC stepped up the campaign to resist the legalisation of assisted suicide in England. This is a very real threat, particularly if assisted suicide is legalised in Scotland.

SPUC’s campaign team brought out a booklet answering the key questions people ask about assisted suicide. This is an invaluable tool to help supporters write with authority to their MP, asking him/her to oppose any proposal, which might come up in Parliament, to legalise assisted suicide.

A more immediate threat to the safety of vulnerable people in England has been the Commons Health Select Committee inquiry into assisted suicide. The outcome of this inquiry cannot change the law, but it could be enormously influential if it concludes that assisted suicide should be made legal.

Aware of the significance of this inquiry, SPUC called on our supporters to submit evidence to the inquiry. With the aid of SPUC’s

materials hundreds of people put forward the case against assisted suicide. isle of Man. In June 2022, Isle of Man politician Dr Alex Allinson was given leave to introduce a Private Member’s Bill to legalise assisted suicide on the island. When a public consultation was launched in December 2022, along with other groups, SPUC mobilised supporters to respond. In a very close run result, SPUC’s intervention tipped the balance to the pro-life position, with 49.61% saying no to assisted suicide and 49.01% in favour. Jersey. The decision to legalise assisted suicide in Jersey was taken in 2021. However, when a consultation was launched in 2022 asking islanders how assisted suicide should be implemented, SPUC worked with other pro-life groups to ensure a strong response rejecting this barbaric practice. At the time of writing this report, the report on the consultation had not been published.

Lives Worth Living –SPUC’s campaign against assisted suicide

Margaret Akers SPUC Services Coordinator and John Deighan SPUC CEO outside St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh ahead of a meeting with Gillian Mackay MSP to consult with pro-life groups on her proposed legislation to introduce buffer zones.

Mark’s story

Dr Mark Blackwell worked as a psychiatrist for 28 years. In 2011, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. In 2016, he underwent deep brain stimulation surgery, to help with the symptoms. Unfortunately, after the operation, he had a brain haemorrhage resulting in a severe stroke. The left side of his body was paralysed.

Mark says: “At one stage, I wanted to die. The thought of 30 years of this sort of life was awful. not able to tell people what I wanted to say, because my speech is impaired.

“But I want to be alive because important things have not changed. Eppie, my wife, loves me; my children love me. I have nine grandchildren.”

Eppie wants people to know that living with someone with a severe disability is not all misery. “of course our life has changed since Mark became ill,” she says. “But Mark and I enjoy our life very much as it is now. Our children and our friends would really miss Mark’s love and presence if he ended his life.”

Dr Blackwell is at the heart of his family. Since his illness, his youngest daughter has graduated from university, one of his sons got married and another achieved a doctorate in

medicine. These are important moments he has been able to share with them, along with seeing the arrival of his grandchildren.

“All these events bring joy and consolation to Mark in spite of his debilitating illness,” says Eppie.

Mark says: “I am happy to be alive. If assisted dying is legalised, it would make me feel that my life and my suffering are a waste of time. It would make me feel I am a burden for Eppie and my children. I would lose respect for myself.

“I am lucky. I have Eppie and my children to protect me. But I worry about what would happen to other people if the law is changed.”

And Eppie says: “Despite his dependence on others for his many needs, Mark’s life is peaceful and dignified. We are so happy that he has chosen to live and let us share our joys with him.”

Freedom of pro-life speech in universities

Following a vicious campaign of abuse, intimidation and “cancellation” waged against pro-life students at UK universities, SPUC added support to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill.

On 13 June 2022, the day on which this Bill was being debated, Alithea Williams, SPUC’s Public Policy Manager presented a petition of over 15,000 signatures to Parliament. The petition called for pro-life students to be given an equal voice.

The Bill will aim to strengthen the legal duties placed on higher education providers

in England to protect freedom of speech on campuses up and down the country for students, academics and visiting speakers. This Bill should help stop incidents such as pro-life students receiving death threats as happened at Exeter University or pro-abortion students smashing up the pro-life stalls, which occurred at Oxford University’s freshers’ fair. An equal voice for pro-life students should mean that sharing pro-life content on social media should not be called into question as it was at Queen’s University Belfast.

Chris Green MP and Alithea Williams SPUC Public Policy Manager presenting a SPUC petition calling for an equal voice for pro-life students in universities.

SOCIAL I n FLUE n CE

online and offline SPUC is working ceaselessly to direct society towards a more life-affirming culture. All of SPUC’s work contributes, in one way or another, to engaging people to consider the humanity of the unborn child and the case against abortion.

SPUC’s mission is to take the pro-life message to all the places and spaces people use on a daily basis.

Thanks to our communications team, SPUC’s online presence has gone from strength to strength and we are now occupying a significant space in social media.

Thanks to our grassroots development and campaign teams we are reaching ordinary people up and down the country in ever greater numbers.

Thanks to our SPUC youth outreach and education teams, young people are drawn to the pro-life cause with ever greater conviction that this is a cause worth fighting for.

SPUC Social Media

72,653

1,096,468

89,705

1,231,120

359,873

Uplift SPUC’s in-depth interview show

isabel vaughan-Spruce – Isabel is well known in the pro-life community as one of the founders of March for Life UK. Isabel sprang to national prominence in December 2022 when she was searched and arrested by three police officers, outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham, for the alleged offence of praying inside her head. The clinic was inside a socalled buffer zone. rev. Calvin robinson – Calvin is a political commentator, writer, and broadcaster and an ordained minister in the Free Church of England, having been rejected for ordination in the Church of England. He has spoken out strongly against abortion and upholds the sanctity of human life.

2,343,622

OUTREACH TO THE PUBLIC

sPuC’s longstanding target is to take the pro-life message to every corner of society; in the pew and in the pub! in the last year two campaigns highlight the scope of sPuC’s social influence:

■ 10 Million Prayers for 10 Million Lost Lives: national Prayer Campaign october 2022 – april 2023

■ Coerced abortion: Public awareness Campaign

10 Million Prayers for 10 Million Lost Lives

27.5 million people described themselves as Christian in the 2021 census. These are people likely to understand and care about the inestimable value of every life. SPUC works to reach out to all Christians to help build up a groundswell of public opinion against abortion.

Running from October 2022 – April 2023, SPUC’s prayer campaign was a key outreach to the faith community in the UK. For many

people the battle to protect unborn babies and their mothers from the horror of abortion is a spiritual one. And people of faith from across the UK responded wholeheartedly to SPUC’s clarion call to unite in prayer and help build a culture of life.

Church leaders who endorsed sPuC’s prayer campaign:

■ Archbishop Leo Cushley of the Archdiocese of St. Andrew’s and Edinburgh

■ Bishop John Keenan of the Diocese of Paisley

■ Bishop Terence Drainey of the Diocese of Middlesbrough

■ Bishop Mark Davies of the Diocese of Shrewsbury

■ Bishop Ralph Heskett of the Diocese of Hallam

■ Bishop David Oakley of the Diocese of northampton

■ Rev. Calvin Robinson, clergyman in the Free Church of England, political commentator and broadcaster

Coerced Abortion: Public Awareness Campaign

Thousands of women are coerced into abortion by partners, family members, employers, healthcare staff or others in their life. A recent BBC poll found that 15% of ALL women had been pressured into having an abortion they didn’t want. SPUC is determined to expose this scandal.

SPUC launched a major public awareness campaign in 2022, to get abortion coercion recognised as a form of abuse and made a priority for future health and social care policy.

SPUC’s public awareness campaign is aimed at exposing the scandal of abortion coercion. In particular, we want to reach women who are being coerced to signpost them to get

help. SPUC has a dedicated website area with key information on abortion coercion and where women can get help https://www. coercionisabuse.org/.

The public awareness campaign is about taking the message that coerced abortion is abuse into everyday situations. There are fliers to deliver door-to-door. Small cards to leave on public transport and other communal areas We help provide local pubs with beer mats which can save women from abuse. And we have stickers for all the places people like to put stickers.

now is the time to be bold in our actions.

Love and Responsibility

Love and responsibility are the themes of SPUC’s talks for secondary schools in England and Wales and high schools in Scotland. This new approach, offering schools a range of talks, sets the abortion issue in a wider context.

“The Human Experience” talk helps students explore a range of issues; poverty, human trafficking, genetic conditions and selfacceptance, racism and when human life begins. Pupils are challenged to think about the

changes they would like to see in the world and how they can become part of that change.

“New Life and Abortion” looks at the first nine months of life and the wonder of life before birth. This talk also covers UK abortion laws, DIY and other methods of legal abortion, hard cases, crisis pregnancy support and adoption. In the last 18 months, 11,850 students have heard a Love and Responsibility talk across 27 secondary schools and six universities in Britain

Praise for Love and Responsibility

“The Human Experience talk was a good exploration of the dignity of the human person. It provided our students with a wide-ranging revision of this, covering a number of issues linked to this that they can use when talking about the dignity of the human person.”

Mrs a o’Brien Lead Lay Chaplain

nicholas Postgate Catholic academy Trust, Middlesbrough

“Pupils were given a clear ‘pro-life’ message and discussed alternative viewpoints. It is always a good sign when pupils gather around the speaker at the end of the presentation to gather further information.”

Mr gerard Bradshaw Head of Re, st. ninian’s High school, glasgow

To build a true culture of life, where every life is valued and protected, it is vital to have an educational outreach. Getting the pro-life message to school students is a top priority for SPUC.

Life voice

With so much powerful propaganda promoting abortion, SPUC’s Life voice package for secondary schools is an innovative drama presentation to help young people at school really think about the issue of abortion.

During the last 12 months, Life voice has continued to make an impact on young people at school. Part of the Life voice package for schools is a drama production titled “Hear me out!” which is based on six real-life testimonies of people who have come face to face with the issues of crisis pregnancy and/or abortion.

Life voice was developed on the principle that the best way for young people to learn about the topic is through encountering reallife experiences and then thinking about how this reflects on their own lives. Life Voice also offers schools an interactive workshop based

on the drama, led by the actors and SPUC’s trained youth workers.

Life voice is now consolidating its position as a high-quality resource for secondary schools. 11 performances of “Hear me out!” were performed in seven schools, along with 19 interactive workshops. In total 1,300 students had the opportunity to take a deep dive into the abortion issue.

Praise for Life voice

“Thank you so much, you all have been amazing from the moment of booking till the final departure...thank you.”

Head of re, Christ the King School, Preston

“The play is beautifully written - it offers a series of complex and engaging narratives that wind together and encourage you to respond. Excellent intricate story - nonjudgemental but clear messages. Engaging narrative that spoke to our young people and their experience of life - allowing them space to think in an otherwise busy world, to reflect and respond to the issues that the play raised for them.”

St Thomas More Language College, London

“I am deeply grateful to the Life Voice Team for their collective courage and commitment to delivering this powerful and vital message. It is life-saving work… It is a fantastic way to deliver the prolife message. Thank you also to the SPUC donors who made it all possible. God bless you all!”

Head of re, St Thomas of Aquinas School, edinburgh

Young people are not only the pro-life movement of the future. They are also the pro-life movement of today. SPUC rightly invests time and energy into encouraging and supporting young pro-life people. The enthusiasm and commitment of young pro-lifers is our guarantee that abortion will, one day, become unthinkable. SPUC is at the forefront of the long march through the institutions towards a culture of life. And we are taking young people with us.

2023 Youth Conference

SPUC’s annual Youth Conference is the largest of its kind in the UK.The residential event aims to educate, inspire and empower young people and equip them with the tools they need to spread the pro-life message.

In 2023, over 170 young people from around the UK and from abroad gathered to hear leading pro-life speakers. Titled “The lies beneath”, the conference focussed on abortion coercion, in line with SPUC’s national campaign.

SPEAKErS IN 2023

Josh Brahm

Josh Brahm is the founder of the Equal Rights Institute in the US. He explained to conference delegates how to think clearly, reason honestly and argue persuasively, for the pro-life cause.

He said, “I was really impressed with SPUC as a result of speaking at their conference, because the students were not only engaged, many of them were familiar with some of the basic principles I was training them on!

“SPUC is clearly doing a great job training young pro-life advocates to be effective in a culture that is very pro-choice.”

Dr dermot Kearney

Dr Dermot Kearney, former President of the Catholic Medical Association, spoke about his efforts to help women save the life of their baby by taking abortion reversal pills, and the challenges he has faced confronting a pro-abortion establishment. He said: “The Youth Conference was a wonderful, joyful and highly educational event. It was uplifting to meet so many young people so enthusiastic about defending the value of human life from conception to natural death. The future for the pro-life movement is assured.”

Professor John Wyatt

Professor John Wyatt is Emeritus Professor of neonatal Paediatrics, Ethics & Perinatology at University College London.

For over 25 years, Professor Wyatt worked as a paediatrician specialising in the care of newborn babies at a leading neonatal intensive care unit.

Fiorella nash

Fiorella Nash is an award-winning novelist, writer and bioethicist, specialising in life issues from a feminist perspective.

“This year’s Youth Conference was as informative as it was inspiring. It is encouraging to see SPUC empowering a new generation of prolife activists to build a culture of life in Britain and beyond.”

IN THEIr oWN WorDS …

Joe: “The talks were inspiring and the people I met even more so. If I could recommend one event to persuade someone of the pro-life position, it would be this one. You can truly feel the love each person has for the dignity of human beings in every interaction you have.”

Maria: “It’s been absolutely incredible. I’ve met some amazing people. A very hopeful weekend for the pro-life community.”

Peter: “It’s my first time at a SPUC Youth Conference and it’s been very welcoming.”

Matilda: “The atmosphere is unreal. I came here for the first time three years ago and I knew nobody. now I feel I know everyone.”

Jamie: “Josh Brahm was a highlight of the conference. He was giving us lots of advice about how to pick up on our own arguments and take them back to our friends.”

Uche: “I definitely recommend people should come next year. I won’t miss it next year.”

Sophia: “Building up the pro-life community is so important. Meeting up with other pro-life people and seeing the bigger picture here, has been really uplifting.”

Project Truth

Summer 2022 saw Project Truth out once more on the streets of towns and cities around Scotland. Run by SPUC, Project Truth is the UK’s largest pro-life youth outreach initiative. Each summer an annual roadshow takes place in which young pro-lifers from all across the UK take the pro-life message out onto the streets.

The format is simple and effective. The team set up a stall and then start conversations on the topic of abortion with members of the public who are passing by. The team distribute information on the development of the baby in the womb, conduct surveys with the public and collect petition signatures, as well as giving out information on support for women in a crisis pregnancy and where to access post-abortion care if needed. Each roadshow provides a fantastic platform to engage in one-to-one discussions with the public and reaches around 2,000 people and facilitates 200 hours of prolife dialogue.

Project Truth continues to serve as a vital programme of recruitment and training for young pro-life activists.

Going forward the Project Truth team will be setting up Project Truth Pods, enabling groups to do pro-life street outreach in their own town, city and, where possible, on university campuses. Each group will be trained and supported by Project Truth.

Project Truth Pods will help to spread the pro-life message to every corner of the UK.

Since the pandemic we have seen a flowering of interest in SPUC and a real sense of urgency about getting involved in the pro-life movement. This has resulted in the formation of 14 new SPUC branches in the last two years. SPUC branches are made up of local people who work tirelessly, on a completely voluntary basis, to put into action the campaign initiatives spearheaded by SPUC.

SPUC branches, and their often extensive network of local supporters, spread the prolife message right where they are. This is done by door-to-door leafleting, street stalls and meetings. Many SPUC branches have an

outreach to a wide range of local churches. And they play a crucial role in lobbying their local MP, MSPs or Member of the Senedd in Wales.

The Grassroots Team at SPUC is dedicated to forming and supporting branches. Looking forward, there are further branches in the pipeline and the Team is developing a training programme for branch members.

2022 saw an extensive outreach to pastors in Scotland. This is a much needed development, the fruits of which will widen our supporter base and re-awaken interest and action for the pro-life cause.

At heart SPUC is a grassroots organisation. Our network of branches across Britain means that local people work at a local level to change hearts and minds on abortion.

GRASSROOTS EnGAGEMEnT GRASSROOTS EnGAGEMEnT

SPUC’s Branch network

SPUC’s extensive branch network. Branches in red were launched 2021-2023

1. Alnwick

2. Altrincham and Sale

3. Arundel, Bognor and Chichester

4. Ashton under Lyne

5. Bedford

6. Bexley

7. Bolton

8. Bournemouth

9. Bury

10. Bury St Edmunds

11. Congleton

12. Crosby

13. Dundee

14. Durham City

15. Edinburgh

16. Ellesmere Port and neston

17. Folkestone, Hythe and Dover

GRASSROOTS In ACTIOn

Pro-life Chains around the country in 2022

18. Gateshead

19. Glasgow 20. Harrow

21. Heywood and Rochdale

22. Huddersfield

23. Hull and East Riding 24. Kettering

Kilmarnock

Lincoln

Market

Local SPUC meetings

one-day Conference in London 2022

GRASSROOTS EnGAGEMEnT

GRASSROOTS In ACTIOn

one-day Conference in Glasgow 2022

Torch light procession in Glasgow – 27 October 2022

Legal

protection for unborn children and justice for their mothers are central tenets of SPUC’s mission. We act swiftly and wisely when a situation requires legal redress through the courts.

Lydia’s legal battle

In what could prove to be a landmark legal case, SPUC is backing a vulnerable woman, known as “Lydia”, who was coerced into aborting her baby at five months’ gestation. SPUC is supporting Lydia’s legal case in a bid to highlight the appalling pressure placed on her and thousands of other UK women who share this fate. Lydia feels that she had no real choice in her abortion and that had she been made aware of alternative options to abortion before entering the abortion clinic the outcome for her and her baby would have been very different. Lydia is determined to seek legal justice for herself and her unborn child and seeks to ensure that women are aware of alternative options and are protected from coercive abortion.

Lydia’s story

This is the story of a woman who was coerced into aborting her baby at about five months into her pregnancy. We are calling her “Lydia” to protect her identity. Lydia is a vulnerable woman, and this tragic tale begins when her relationship with her partner, whom she had been dating for some time, started to break down. Even at this stage it seems that her partner’s family started to get involved and were pressurising both of them to end the relationship.

Shortly after the relationship ended Lydia discovered she was pregnant. She told her partner that she wanted to keep the baby.

An ultrasound scan showed that Lydia’s unborn baby was around 20 weeks’ gestation. Lydia wanted to keep her baby, but, she has said, her partner’s family were exerting pressure on her to have an abortion.

Lydia explains how a member of her expartner’s family in the medical profession, gave Lydia erroneous medical advice. Lydia was told that her unborn baby could be born disabled due to her pre-existing health conditions. These assertions, it was later discovered, were false. As a result, Lydia was placed under immense pressure and this affected her mental wellbeing.

Lydia further recounts how she was threatened by her partner and his relatives, that if she didn’t terminate the pregnancy, they would go to court to claim that she was not mentally stable enough to have a baby. This became too much for Lydia who

suffered a mental breakdown leading her to attempt suicide.

Eventually Lydia caved into the pressure and went to an abortion provider. At the abortion clinic she told the staff about her mental status and about the pressure and coercion from her ex-partner’s family to terminate the pregnancy. She made it clear that she did not want the abortion.

nevertheless, the abortion went ahead, and Lydia’s five-month-old unborn baby’s life was terminated. Records obtained for that day show that she had indeed told the clinic she did not want the abortion and that she had been coerced into it.

Lydia lodged a formal complaint and, after waiting a year for a response, was told that the regulatory body would take no action.

One of the most tragic parts of this story is that Lydia had previously been told that she would never be able to have a baby. The precious baby they coerced her into aborting may have been the only child she will ever conceive.

Justice for the unborn in northern Ireland

SPUC has continued to fight for justice for unborn babies in northern Ireland. Following the decriminalisation of abortion in 2019, the London Government became frustrated by the slow rollout of abortion facilities in the Province. In response it passed the northern Ireland 2021 Abortion Regulations, transferring the power to set up clinics to Westminster. SPUC launched a legal challenge to that ruling, which they described as a “power grab” by London. SPUC is adamant that the decision to open up abortion clinics should be made by the democratically elected politicians in northern Ireland, and not by ministers in London. The case was rejected by the High Court, but SPUC’s challenge was heard in the Court of Appeal over three days in January and February 2023. SPUC’s legal team argued that the Secretary of State (appointed by the London Government) went beyond his lawful authority when he issued secondary legislation granting him the power to override the terms of the devolution settlement established by the Good Friday Agreement.

This is a vitally important case for northern Ireland. It has enabled some of the pressing concerns about abortion to be aired.The three judges in the Appeal Court were particularly concerned by the possibility that the Regulations perpetuate negative stereotypes of disabled people by allowing abortion up to

birth for eugenic reasons. The verdict had not been announced at the time of writing this report.

Lives saved in northern Ireland

When the London Government imposed its radical abortion regime on northern Ireland, it aimed to facilitate at least 6,500 abortions annually. Opposition within the devolved administration and the health service meant the number in the first year fell far short of this target. In frustration, the Secretary of State directed Stormont Ministers and health officials to ramp up the provision of abortion to meet his target. As we report above, when this happened SPUC accused the Secretary of State of acting beyond his authority and took legal action against him. The case is now being considered by the Court of Appeal but the Secretary of State’s directions have not been implemented and the number of abortions is still far below the target.

Between the end of March 2020 and the end of October 2022 (when the most recent figures were revealed), there were 4,136 abortions. While this is a shocking statistic compared to the 65 carried out in 2019, it is still far below the projected 16,250 abortions that were supposed to have taken place during this period. Efforts to block the London Government’s plans have probably saved around 12,144 lives.

12,144 unborn lives saved thanks to SPUC’s campaign

SPUC first identified the need to help women after an abortion over 30 years ago. ArCH (Abortion recovery Care and Helpline) is an initiative of the SPUC education and research Trust which offers confidential and compassionate help to women, men and families in the aftermath of an abortion. Alma mater provides financial grants to pregnant students at universities around the UK, to allow women to resist being ushered towards an abortion decision.

ArCH

For over 30 years, SPUC has recognised the need to support those struggling after abortion. we understand that anyone who cares about abortion needs to care about all those affected. we cannot overestimate the value of the work of ArCH (Abortion recovery Care and Helpline) which offers compassionate, non-judgemental and confidential support and counselling, free of charge, to hundreds of women and men each year.

ArCH provides a UK wide Helpline covered by volunteer Befrienders who are all trained listeners. The counselling service is provided by professionally trained counsellors either face-to-face or by telephone or secure video. Support groups are available where possible.

Alma mater

Launched in 2019, the Alma mater Fund is an initiative of SPUC which provides financial grants to pregnant students at universities around the UK, who are facing difficulties. The fund is there to help students who may feel that they have to choose abortion to continue with their studies. Alma mater offers another route.

The fund provides financial grants to pregnant students as well as advice about other support they may be eligible to receive.

The Alma mater fund has helped many women at a crucial time in their lives.