US anti-abortion group lobbying Westminster

A year ago I noticed the pro life lobby and the abortion on demand, up to term lobby both started hiring and fundraising like crazy. It's really worrying and as someone who broadly supports the position of the current law, I don't see women or babies benefitting from a hugely polarising nuclear arms race on this.

It appears to be related to accusing women of procuring abortion pills for use after 24 weeks.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68305991

BPAS tweeted yesterday that the charity has received "dozens of demands from the police for women's confidential medical records to pursue them for alleged abortion offences."

What's behind this level of police interest?

Tweet from BPAS

Unfortunately, it does seem like it is having an impact. Since the overturning of Roe v Wade, there has been quite intense lobbying and targeted funding of anti-abortion groups in the UK by groups from the US. Already, there seems to have been consequences. In the last 18 months, 6 women have been prosecuted for having illegal abortions; in the previous 55 years it was only 3. Obviously, these numbers are very small but they are worrying nonetheless.

From the article:
The UK branch of the US-based Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has more than doubled its spending since 2020 and been appointed a stakeholder in a parliamentary group on religious freedoms in a role that grants it direct access to MPs.

What.The.Fuck?

This again exposes the wider prolem with lobbying. We're all aware of the success of the trans lobby in imposing their anti women anti safeguarding ideology on people by lobbying behind closed doors, getting politicians in their pockets and avoiding democratic accountability. This is another anti woman ideology operating behind closed doors, this time involving a USA based religious organisation with no stake in this country.
It's time we held politicians accountable for allowing lobbyists to buy their support in this way

I haven't read the article because it's The Guardian, but are a bunch of foreigners really coming here and trying to change our laws?

Give them a flea in the ear. Send them home. With their tails between their legs.

In the lead-up to the destruction of Roe v Wade, there was lots of head-patting and shushing from people who claimed that there was no risk, that any talk of risk was showboating and that (this being the US) the Democrats shouldn't be wasting legislative time on something already settled, etc etc.

Within hours of Roe v Wade falling, as the deliberate outcome of a Republican president's actions, social media was abuzz with people yelling "the Democrats didn't stop us hard enough!"

Ignoring party, I've seen near identical head-patting and shushing going on in the UK.

Excuse me if I don't fall for it.

There is no legal right to abortion in the UK, only exemptions to the law. Therefore it is still possible for women to be prosecuted for having an abortion. Until this changes and the UK follows France's example of enshrining the right in law, women are at risk of changes to exemptions, or interpretation of the law.

it shouldn't be legal for these people to protest about rights that women in other countries have. When ireland was in the run up to the abortion referendum in early 2018 they were out in force, drove me mad. I was pro-choice and found it hard to deal with local pro-life campaigners, but flight-loads of americans who flew in to seek to oppose women's rights in another country. I felt rage! 😡

God's honest truth is that the right to abortion is a settled issue in the UK

Like it is in the US? Roe v. Wade has decided it.

Oh wait...

Dear Americans, stop imposing your views on other countries. You have already destroyed so much in your desire to dominate the world and now some of you seek to control women’s choices elsewhere.

Work on the problems created by your laws in your own country. As Christians you could help those living in poverty, fund education, health services and housing. Is that not more important? Acting in this manner appears you wish to control, rather than help.

I have read many 'Conspiracy Theory' articles over the years and this is one of the best yet. Not only is there no smoking gun, there is no gun or even smoke.

God's honest truth is that the right to abortion is a settled issue in the UK. We always need to watch the drive to reduce the gestation period because of "viability" but we are well practiced in doing this.

I suppose given the silo like nature of social media all that money disappears into ads in the feeds of potentially amenable readers.

Well, we need to stay vigilant.