To think men have no right to stand outside abortion clinics and do this.

[QuestioningStuff]

Posted before about my pregnancy. I am having a termination today. This is not a decision I've made lightly.

I've arrived at the clinic and there is a middle aged man and his young teen son standing outside with camp chairs and flasks. Putting up awful pictures and signs. Trying to hand out leaflets.

I think women who do this are also scum but how on earth could a man think he has any right to do this? Turn up at a place where women are at their most scared and vulnerable and try to bully them?

It's really really upset me. I hate them so much right now.

I want to go and tell them exactly what I think of them but don't think that would be helpful at this time.

I agree, men have as much right to protest against abortion as women. Their sex/gender doesn't come in to it.

It's how these people, men or women, go about it. Those signs etc are upsetting, whoever holds them.

Of course they have a right to protest at what they don't like. As do you. As do people who are against austerity or against Ched Evans playing professional football again.

The fact that you, I or millions of others disagree with them doesn't make them wrong, or take away their right to peaceful protest. I'm glad to say that we still have freedom of expresion (for the moment) and that whilst we don't like what they are doing we should fully respect their right to do it.

Creating exclusion zones for things we feel are sensitive is just the start of the slippery slope towards banning peaceful protest.

twofingerstoGideon thanks for the link I signed it.

Take care of yourself OP,I hope you have some RL support my love

Good post bobby totally agree.

It doesn't only affect women, but women are the only people who are faced with the decision - two different things to be fair.

Let's do the abortion debate elsewhere if we must ffs. Start a thread or something.

I have to say, I reluctantly agree with bobbywash, despite feeling very sorry for the OP's experience.

Where does 'peaceful protest' end and harassment begin? The OP was clearly upset by the encounter. Do you really believe that these people's right to protest trumps the right of women to have access to a legal termination without running the gamut of zealots wearing cameras and sticking plastic foetuses and touched-up photos into their faces.

No, they have no right to even comment, let alone protest, and they should be at work, idle bastards. I often wonder who's funding these arseholes to sit outside clinics, hopefully not "the taxpayer"

They may well have the legal right to do this - but morally, no. They have absolutely no moral right whatsoever. It's not as if they are offering a counselling service is it?

Maybe they occasionally lead to someone changing their minds on the day. What evidence do we have that the change of heart was actually the right decision for that woman? Which decision is likely to be the right one - the one made calmly and rationally with a counsellor either inside the clinic or before the visit OR the one a woman feels bullied or repulsed into (by graphic images) on the car park?

There should definitely be an exclusion zone around clinics. IMHO, the right to peaceful protest is a wonderful thing but should never apply to protesting against an individual's private medical choices.

It's not peaceful protest though is it. peaceful means that no one is harmed and a point is made.

no one's going to be physically or mentally harmed by voicing an opinion on a football player or animal rights.

at a clinic however they are causing harm no matter how "peaceful" the protest

every woman they send running carrying a baby of her abusive husband tying her to him forever is harmed.

Every sick or disabled woman who's body is at risk of major damage as a result of birth is harmed.

Every baby who's severely damaged and born in pain is harmed.

There is the potential for harm even with a peaceful protest.

Maybe Jehovah's witnesses should be allowed to wait outside operating theatres to protest against blood transfusions?!

Yanbu to be angry at their presence so close to the clinic and I completely agree that there should be decent exclusion zones around clinics.
Obviously they are allowed their views but I really doubt that they are going to change anyone's mind as like you say you have thought about it already. Thinking that they are being reasonable in doing this is patronising and arragont.
Take care and forget them. Bullying women at what is probably a very difficult time is unacceptable.

I don't think their gender has anything to do with it. No one should do this.

I do understand the right to protest and also freedom of speech but this is highly inappropriate.

YABU to think men shouldn't be entitled to an opinion on the issue because they men.

YANBU to not want to suffer this type of protest outside a clinic.

I'd like to think if person A was going to abort me, and person B had the opportunity to change their mind, they would be prepared to say things that could be upsetting to the decision-maker in the hope of changing their mind.

I'd also support people protesting near soldiers about to shoot someone in the hopes of persuading not to, even though it is their painful decision to make and live with.

I really think there should be an exclusion zone- as someone said they are accessing a legal procedure if the protesters don't agree that said procedure should be legal then by all means protest but not in such a cruel way.
I don't consider standing directly outside a clinic showing shocking images and forcing your opinions on women at a very vunerable time to be peaceful protest at all.
Op thinking of you x

They do have a right to personally disagree with abortion but they don't have a right to do what they are doing. You can't take that right away and some men have strong reasons for feeling that way. Very wrong to do what they are doing though! Sorry you are going through this OP.

A soldier isn't part of someone else's body though pirate. Someone who is already living and has human rights, or do you think they shouldn't have any control over their own body?

Why focus on the often vulberable women in that situation rather than the men who were also involved?

Because it's the woman who has the abortion - the man's feelings are very secondary.

I don't agree with anyone who opposes abortion but it's obvious that it would be a waste of time to pressure fathers rather than mothers.

You poor thing op hope everything goes ok for you.

People who do that are completely heartless & cruel, in my book. I would imagine many do it just as an excuse to look down on others, to put the boot in at a vulnerable time, to make themselves feel 'above' others, and better than others. Rather than being truly altruistic. Rather than looking at positive ways to help or to bring in change. And when people sit, intimidating women at the very door of the clinic, well that says it all, doesn't it. Disgusting.

"Creating exclusion zones for things we feel are sensitive is just the start of the slippery slope towards banning peaceful protest."

No it isn't. It's stopping the harassment of vulnerable people. The old "slippery slope" argument always comes out when people can't think of a better, actual reason to disagree with something.

People do in fact have a right to peacefully protest something, and if they consider it to be the ending of a human life, I would expect no less than they exercise the right to peacefully protest, and petition the decision-making authority (in this case, the mother) in line with their conscience.

I think it's pretty obvious that you would expect this to happen, and not think someone was bad for doing it, even though it can have a terrible effect on the person trying to get the medical procedure, who may not have the choice to "let the baby live".

In a free society everyone has the right not only to their opinion, but to voice it.

That includes opinions with which we disagree.

The fact they might be a man doesn't remove that right from them.

Imagine if someone had the right to say which opinions could be voiced and where. Fine if that person is you. Not so fine if it's someone else.

Likepirate it's ironic that you are saying lets have the abortion debate elsewhere, when it is you using emotive 'save a life' language.

be gentle to yourself OP. I'll think of you today x