AIBU to think women should be able to access abortion clinics without intimidation and harassment?

[betty62]

I live in Ealing, London and there is a Marie Stopes clinic nearby. Every day there is a' vigil' of anti-abortionists outside with pictures of embryos, plastic foetuses, religious texts and inaccurate leaflets which tell the women things such as they are more likely to get breast cancer if they have an abortion and that they are more likely to abuse any other children that they have or will have in the future. Some of the vigilers stand at the entrance to the clinic trying to force their leaflets on the clinic users, or follow them down the road when they leave, calling them 'mum' . Regardless of whether someone agrees with abortion or not, I don't think the women who are trying to access a legal service should be subject to intimidation and harassment. If you agree, and live or work in Ealing, please sign this petition that is asking the council to implement a buffer zone directly outside of the clinic.

ealing.cmis.uk.com/ealing/ePetitions/tabid/96/ID/38/This-petition-calls-for-Ealing-Council-to-end-the-persistent-presence-of-the-anti-abortion-vigil-outside-the-Marie-Stopes-Reproductive-Centre-on-Mattock-Lane-Ealing.aspx

Had this lot a few months back where I live. Unfortunately for them, the clinic is almost next to a sizeable college, so when I turned up with some other pro-choicers, we were supported by loads of students with placards and banners.

Pro-lifers only seem to care about the child until it's born, and then It's on its own.

I have signed many petitions over the years and will continue to do so, for as long as it's necessary, My daughters and granddaughter have the right to decide what happens to their own bodies.

CherryChasingDotMuncher the comments about it not being the place were directed at a spammy post not about the topic of the thread.

My apologies! didn't see the spammy post

My DM has had numerous arguments with the pro-lifers at the clinic near her workplace in London. It really is disgusting. She told me that most of them were men, which angered her further.
I don't live in Ealing, but definitely agree OP.

If they want to be pro life then that's up to them. But their argument should be with the law makers and not with the women accessing these facilities. IMHO.

*You mean women, right?

There's things where including both sexes just isn't necessary. grin*

Trans men can and do get pregnant. I'm gonna include something that represents myself :)

CherryChasingDotMuncher it's been deleted, without it the comments did look a bit odd

Your status as a trans man is utterly irrelevant to this thread.

Absolutely Antiope, and while we're on the subject which is a big derail, trans men are biological women so of course they can get pregnant, they have ovaries and a uterus

YABU. These people are scum. Fuck them.

Since when did trans men have wombs and ovaries. Abortion rights are about women no man ever had to have an abortion.

Oh i thought trans men were men who identified as women

You're thinking of trans women Gowgirl, MtT, transmen are FtT therefore they are biologically women.

Easy mistake, it gets confusing.

AntiopeofThemyscira
Your status as a trans man is utterly irrelevant to this thread.

That is absolutely correct Antiope only biological women (including trans men) get pregnant and they might need to access abortion clinics and I think they have the right to expect to do so without being accosted by anti-choice protesters, especially if those protesters are men.

Very confusing the whole trans thing muddles everything.

FFS, women have spent years sneaking away to access abortions and have died and been killed as a result. Women to this day die in the West because they cannot get doctors to remove a dead fetid from their womb. Let's not even pretend that it's a man's issue. They don't get to polarise everything we do and fight for.

Men cannot get abortions. It's something women have suffered for for centuries, let's not let anyone take that away from us

Your last sentence is still 100% though gowgirl.

Correct.

Very confusing the whole trans thing muddles everything.

Yes, and I increasingly think that's the intention behind it. Pretend that men can need abortions, and then pretend that it is not sexism when abortions are not allowed because "all genders can get pregnant", and you have invisible patriarchal oppression.

The whole trans thing, it is like a cloak of invisibility for misogyny.

The post which originally mentioned trans men was perfectly understandable and mentioned them only in passing. The comments on it have been unnecessarily unkind. Yes, trans men can get pregnant as they will have been born biologically female so yes, they will also be targeted by the people "protesting" and have every right to complain about it.

VestalVirgin, this is when we need a 'like' button.

VestalVirgin absolutely spot on. The muddying of waters such as this is fucking infuriating. I despise people protesting outside clinics complete with their disturbing pictures and taunts. They're not pro-life, they are anti-women!!

They should be arrested and thrown in the nearest prison. Vile, sick human beings.

Oh crikey when i rule the world we will have people, said people will be male if they have a willy, female if they have ovaries and confused if they dont know what they are.
They can be straight, gay or bi and it wont matter except to the person they are sleeping with. Ditto colour/ race/religion.
And those bastards would be arrested for threatening behaviour.