UK tells pro-lifers using “American” tactics at clinics to “back off”
by Kelli
We need to talk about abortion because the phoney war (small groups of vigil-antis outside clinics, praying, thrusting rosary beads and plastic foetuses into women’s hands, giving out leaflets packed with fake science and scare stories) – is over. For the first time an anti-abortion group has declared real war on abortion clinics with new levels of harassment that have left staff feeling beleaguered, and women intimidated, invaded and upset.
They are lining the streets around clinics with vast photographs of bloody foetuses, approaching staff and members of the public and filming them on discretely positioned cameras without their consent. They are challenging women about the treatment they are seeking and following women down the street with complete disregard for their privacy and sense of safety, causing as much distress as they can. They have learned from their American colleagues that if you can’t make accessing or providing an abortion legally impossible, then you should aim to make it intolerable.
In response to this intensification of clinic protests, abortion provider Bpas has launched the ‘back off’ campaign. The campaign calls on the government to create protest-free access zones directly around clinics – to allow staff and members of the public safe passage as they come and go.
The protestors have, of course, cried foul….
[W]e know from the American experience we can’t turn a blind eye to abortion opponents and just hope they’ll go away. If we want to protect our rights, we really do need to talk about how much we cherish them. We need to talk about abortion.
~ Lisa Hallgarten, Huffington Post, November 30
[Photo via ibtimes.co.uk from a 2012 protest of Northern Ireland’s first abortion clinic]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
If you’d cherish your own offspring instead of cherishing the act of destroying them, we would go away.
Yes. Britain would benefit from a national conversation about abortion.
These proabort gals need to have a conversation with their child-making co-participants before the child is made. Don’t like children? Don’t make one.
http://www.24tee.com/funny-tee-shirts-for-women/womens-back-off-yosemite-sam-classic-tee-shirt-anvil-softstyle.html?language=en¤cy=USD&gclid=CMPB_6Tjp8ICFQoMaQodZToAPg
“Yes. Britain would benefit from a national conversation about abortion.”
I agree. In fact, I think most countries would benefit from such a conversation.
The UK abortion enthusiast wants to talk about keeping “American-style” pro-life activities off of the British sidewalks.
But any talk about abortion leads to talk about saving children and helping women in an authentic way. There is a lot of pain throughout the culture from the secrecy and abuse of abortion.
Bravo Lisa!
You certainly have managed to pack a punch with all of your EMOTIONAL, HYSTERICAL rambling.
phony war, thrusting rosary beads, fake science, scare stories, harassment, beleaguered, intimidated, invaded, upset, vast photographs, distress
My oh my. You write like my 5th grader. You are missing a few of these though…..BAM! WHAP! POW! KERSPLAT!
Please understand these simple concepts. YES we want abortion to be INTOLERABLE and UNTHINKABLE and ILLEGAL!! Believe it.
NO we are not going to GO AWAY because you throw a temper tantrum over the fact that we want to discourage women from killing their babies.
Own what you support. Deal with the fact that we will never stop. Might want to move into the acceptance part of your grief over those that protest the killing that you “cherish.”
“Vigil-antis”
Hey, that kind of has a nice ring to it.
“real war on abortion clinics” – People standing on public sidewalks with signs and pamphlets do not constitute a “real war” on anything.
“In response to this intensification of clinic protests, abortion provider Bpas has launched the ‘back off’ campaign.”
Just a minute partna’, you can’t talk to us like that, them’s fightin’ words.
“They have learned from their American colleagues that if you can’t make accessing or providing an abortion legally impossible, then you should aim to make it intolerable.”
Ah, yes. Americans. Leading the way in making abortion intolerable. We will Lead the Way in making abortion illegal, too.
We’ll be scared later. Right now we’re too mad.
Ah, yes: a buffer zone. I don’t know how much experience the UK has with them, but where I live, the “zones” haven’t eliminated peaceful prolife witness. They never will.
We are not going anywhere.
As long as the killing continues, our protest of the killing continues.
The real war is on children in the womb. St. Michael the Archangel, be our defender in this battle against wickedness!
“phony war, thrusting rosary beads, fake science, scare stories, harassment, beleaguered, intimidated, invaded, upset, vast photographs, distress…”
LOL Carla! I’m glad I’m not the only one giggling at the overwrought language in this article! I must say it’s actually a bit flattering to know that UK pro-lifers are seeing some success over here and adopting our “American style” of protesting! Hope they keep it up over there; they’re obviously making waves of their own!
“My oh my. You write like my 5th grader.”
LOL Carla, I, too, thought she wrote like my elementary school daughter when she gets excited and uses over the top language in her writings. Actually, my daughter’s writing is a little different though … her writing at least makes sense.
:)