To think this isn't very nice ? ( Pro-life protestors)

[chattycaterpillar]

I am pregnant, 11 weeks, first pregnancy. Like all first time mother's, I am very worried about miscarriage.

Anyway, my booking appointment was changed to a phone appointment cos I had Covid at the time of the appointment. The midwife arranged for me to come in today, ( a week or so after isolation finished), so I could get my bloods/ Blood Pressure/ urine sample done etc.

The maternity centre is based in a community hospital that has a variety of NHS Community/ outpatient services attached, ( acute/ emergency treatments are at the main hospital across town). But the community hospital has maternity outpatients, mental health teams, counselling, STI testing, audiology, physiotherapy , dermatology services attached to it. It also has BPAS abortion clinic inside, ( which I didn't realise until this morning).

Anyway , a short distance from the hospital, when I was going in, there were about 8 signs with the most horrific images , ( very large), of dead foetus's etc. I had a leaflet thrust in my hand and the images, well for someone worrying about miscarriage, they were very upsetting.

AIBU to say whilst I understand termination is a controversial issue, it's completely out of order to force these images on members of the public ?

The midwife who did my bloods etc said I wasn't the first person who'd been upset by it, and that there was also a recurrent miscarriage clinic being run at the hospital so she imagined it would cause a lot of upset.

Never mind a vulnurable teenager or rape victim walking into the BPAS clinic being forced to see these images ?

I got talking to a lady in the waiting room who said she had experienced a stillbirth a few months before and found being confronted by these images incredibly distressing.

@pointythings

The percentage of women who suffer abortion regret is actually very low. This is not to say that these women shouldn't have help built into the system - they should. But let's not buy into the myth that it's particularly common because that's feeding the pro life brigade's agenda.

Pro-lifers want abortion to be illegal. So they think the very occasional woman who has some form of abortion regret (1% according to the study I read) is more of a tragedy than forcing women, including rape victims, to give birth to unwanted children, and those desperate enough seeking out dangerous illegal abortions resulting in death.

And not just women but literal children (girls) as well. Somehow pro-lifers think that it is acceptable to force children into giving birth. I know someone who was a victim of incest at 13 and had an abortion, to think she would have been forced into giving birth by pro-lifers if they had their way is abhorrent.

As an aside, how do they get hold of these pictures?

Obviously we can't know which particular ones these were, but a lot of "protester pictures" are photoshopped now

We had a huge falling out over it when I was suffering PTSD after my son's birth and her argument was that if it saves one child's life, surely it's worth however many people being upset by their images.

I wonder if they ever for one moment consider that they might cause a vulnerable woman to seek an unsafe alternative or even take her own life (and that of the foetus too).
Nasty self-righteous cruel people.

Just to put a different (but relevant) angle on this:
Just over five years I was about to enter a hospital and was accosted (emotive but the only appropriate word to use) by protestors outside the entrance. I told them to leave me alone and why they should. They continued. I went straight to the reception desk and told them what had happened - they took it very seriously and by the time I left they were gone.
(These people were protesting about funding for the NHS - which I actually support, but the way they were protesting was awful. I was actually going to visit my dad who was dying in ITU. 😢)
It's not the same situation I know, but any protestors who upset people going about their business should be stopped.
for anyone affected by the moronic people mentioned on this thread.

So they think the very occasional woman who has some form of abortion regret (1% according to the study I read) is more of a tragedy...

I doubt they think that's a tragedy at all (especially as their actions are surely liable to induce regret in some women and girls who'd have coped better if not confronted like this). I rather suspect that's just mealy mouthed words and they're more likely to think it's just deserts.

YNBU. This is disgusting.

Anyone else think that if abortion was something that negatively effected men then the protesters would be dealt with swiftly by the police? But as its just women being harassed, traumatised and abused by the public who gives a sod, eh? [Hmm]

YANBU.
I’ve been fortunate not to run into these types of people but I’d be extremely distressed if I had done. My son was my third pregnancy, losing the other two very early on, and I was incredibly worried about it happening again, so I don’t think having distressing images shoved in my face would have helped!

But let’s be real, these people don’t really care about women.

Vile. It's basically a copy of American Christian-Right tactics. We need to be vigilant against the importation of such tactics, which are much more anti-women than pro-life.

@ErrolTheDragon

So they think the very occasional woman who has some form of abortion regret (1% according to the study I read) is more of a tragedy...

I doubt they think that's a tragedy at all (especially as their actions are surely liable to induce regret in some women and girls who'd have coped better if not confronted like this). I rather suspect that's just mealy mouthed words and they're more likely to think it's just deserts.

It is striking that, with some exceptions, the most ardent anti-abortionists tend to be the harshest about any sort of help or benefits for single mothers: i.e. the very people who didn't have abortions. And those in America mostly seem surprisingly unconcerned about the country's high (for a developed country) infant mortality rates.

However, I do understand the need to drastically reduce the number of abortions in the U.K, as that is clearly a high number of women who will suffer some considerable trauma

Nope, not evidenced. This is forced birther propaganda designed to remove women's reproductive rights by chipping away, a bit at a time until one day we wake up and find we have no reproductive rights.

As early as possible, as late as necessary.

I agree that the abortions that need to 'drastically reduce' aren't the free, safe accessible ones in the UK. They're the unsafe ones in the majority world. Women are currently dying in places like Nicaragua because abortion is illegal.

Sex education, good birth control and actually trying to prevent and prosecute sex offences aren't abortion prevention, they are human rights.

We need to be very aware when we 'debate' any aspect of abortion. It gives the impression our rights are somehow not rights.

If these "protesters" were genuinely interested in changing things and bring prolife there'd be offering safe spaces, handing out information about how to get a child adopted, they'd be insisting on housing for new mothers, increased support to education, free childcare, massive improvements in access to contraception etc etc etc. Stopping abortions being legal does not stop abortion. Waving around FAKE and distressing images is just their way of being fucking awful human beings. If you are prolife you encourage you don't blame.

I'm totally prochoice, and I think more women need more support. As far as I can tell prolifers are actually anti women.

You know. It makes me that mad if love to turn up to the places they are and support women to get past them. I'm big, obstinate and don't like anyone having to be upset in accessing whatever healthcare they know they need. Maybe i should make myself a t shirt? Quietly get on with supporting women rather than them and their campaigns of hate.

We need to be very aware when we 'debate' any aspect of abortion. It gives the impression our rights are somehow not rights

Exactly this.

I generally assume that hand wringing about the protests by posters who use terminology like "pro life" and claim there are too many abortions in the UK, that they leave women traumatised etc has an agenda behind it. Its not a pro womens rights or pro reproductive rights agenda.

I had an abortion as a teenager (many years ago), and they were doing it back then too. I got shouted at and called a murderer by middle aged men. It still upsets me to this day.

@C8H10N4O2

We need to be very aware when we 'debate' any aspect of abortion. It gives the impression our rights are somehow not rights

Exactly this.

I generally assume that hand wringing about the protests by posters who use terminology like "pro life" and claim there are too many abortions in the UK, that they leave women traumatised etc has an agenda behind it. Its not a pro womens rights or pro reproductive rights agenda.

Erm, if you think not wanting to see pictures of dead babies thrust in my face on the way to a maternity appointment is an "agenda," then so be it.

I don't think myself or anyone else accessing the hospital should have to put up with these pictures. I don't see how that comes across as an agenda.

I didn't realise that "pro-life," was offensive terminology either. I thought it was commonly phrased as "pro-life," "pro-choice." I thought they were generally accepted terms.

@JorisBonson

I had an abortion as a teenager (many years ago), and they were doing it back then too. I got shouted at and called a murderer by middle aged men. It still upsets me to this day.

I'm very sorry that happenned @JorisBonson :(

@Georgeskitchen

There have been protests about this on our local news a few years back. Protesting right at the gates of a private clinic, telling women abortion is a sin. I'm all for people's opinions for/against but I'm afraid what antagonised me most about these protesters is that they were all MEN yes you read that correctly MEN 😡🤬

I'm not allfor people's own opinions. The only people that should have an opinion is the pregnant woman. It's no one elses business and I'd outlaw being able to protest about abortion.

However, I do understand the need to drastically reduce the number of abortions in the U.K, as that is clearly a high number of women who will suffer some considerable trauma

I'm a bit confused by this. Why do we need to "drastically reduce the number of abortions"? For what reason?

I'm also confused why you think "a high number" of women experience trauma after abortion when that is completely inaccurate.

Don't want an abortion? Excellent, don't have one. Don't stop anyone else having one

Absolutely spot on.

When I was 15 there were pro lifers in a marquee in our local town centre, my friend an I were invited in to watch a video- still makes me angry now and I'm 50!

OP, I would absolutely contact PALS about this. No one should have to see images like this while accessing health care.

I heard a really interesting podcast about abortion a while back. It said the best trick the pro-life movement ever pulled off, was to make us believe abortion is about dead babies. It has nothing to do with that and it never has. Its about control and forcing women to lose body autonomy to become breeding machines. Its no coinicidence that the womens rights movement really took off once we had access to safe, legal abortion.
I had an abortion many years ago and always remember having to enter the clinic through a door in the dark back alley next to the bins to avoid the protestors at the front. These people are vile and not one of them give a flying fuck about women.

@SexyLittleNosferatu

However, I do understand the need to drastically reduce the number of abortions in the U.K, as that is clearly a high number of women who will suffer some considerable trauma

I'm a bit confused by this. Why do we need to "drastically reduce the number of abortions"? For what reason?

I'm also confused why you think "a high number" of women experience trauma after abortion when that is completely inaccurate.

I think it is clear that abortion, even if there is no long term mental health trauma, is not particularly pleasant for women.

I think better contraceptive and sex education to prevent unwanted pregnancy is a good thing, and that is what I meant by reduce abortions.

Yes, I do think the pro-life/ anti abortion movement should focus it's energy on contraceptive education, ( so preventing unwanted pregnancy), than upsetting and distressing protests.

It is not coincidence that countries that have safe legal abortion and excellent sex education and contraceptive access have the lowest abortion rates globally. That is indeed what we should be focusing on.

Anything distracting from that - arguments about abortion regret, negative effects of abortion, abortion timelines, conditions which make abortion permissible - all of those things are a distraction and fodder for the forced birthers.

I think it is clear that abortion, even if there is no long term mental health trauma, is not particularly pleasant for women

Why do you think that? What are you basing that comment on? The actual facts prove you wrong, as has already been mentioned, so I'm not sure why you think this?

Also, many things aren't particularly pleasant. Do you have strong opinions about these too?