Abortion threads

[ModerateOrGoodOccasionallyPoor]

Is it me, or are there a suspiciously excessive number of abortion threads lately?

They always seem to follow a bit of a formula as well. Long backstory of how accidental pregnancy happened, insistence that there was genuinely no desire to get PG, complicated relationship or lifestyle issues, loads of reasons why having the baby would be a massive spanner in the works, the OP often says she knows she should probably terminate but then asks 'what should I do?' There is often some sort of added dilemma or complication attached as well, such she's already got loads but it's her partner's only child and he wants to keep it, or he's recently widowed, or she is, or it's twins, or she's found out really late, or, or.

It's always a new user name and often not much engagement from the OP on the thread, past the initial post or a few posts dropped in just to keep the thread going.

I've been around for years and years and I've never seen as many of these threads as I'm seeing lately. There are new ones daily, it seems. What's the rub?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/02/us-anti-abortion-group-expands-campaign-in-uk

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20drjg3ly0o.amp

https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/us-antiabortion-cash-floods-uk-free-speech-union-adf

Maybe the reason for the anonymous posts rather than open debate is because so many women in real life are not open to debate at all on this issue. Anyone who doesn't fully support very liberal access to termination is called names and shut down immediately.

ooh yes, well spotted.

The PIP ones were mostly SPADS and journalists I thought. Definitely suspicious though, like you say.

The abortion ones, at least in part, seem to be flying a flag on behalf of those whacko foundations based in the US.

I honestly don’t think this is true. They certainly aren’t routinely called murderers….

Anytime anything a bit controversial is posted there's a flurry of similar threads after , I actually posted about it last week. Weirdos

It’s access to choice that the site as a whole tends to support, I’ve found over many years here.

You’ll also find huge support for women who don’t want to be pressured by male partners to have an abortion.

On the subject of threads on this issue being totally unsurprising, here are stats on rising abortion numbers and the fact that financial constraints are a huge factor....

Rising Cost of Living Drives Record Abortion Rate | BPAS

No-one minds genuine, reasoned debate on topical issues affecting women, @UsernameMcUsername. But the OP is highlighting something else - an insidious and artificially constructed series of posts deliberately trying to establish a false, unhelpful and at times malevolent narrative.

I’ve recently posted about this (not in AIBU) but I am definitely a genuine person. I name changed so it wouldn’t be outing but I have been on Mumsnet for many years. I am definitely a genuine person who is really going through it at the moment.

I was shocked by these numbers tbh. And that is despite the fact that 10-year olds are taught at school where the baby is coming from and how to prevent it. I mean, it's not working, is it? It's like abortion has become just another contraceptive method.

Yes it's very odd. Always elaborate and always taking their time to make a decision. Rather sinister imo. Very "look at how hard my life is and I'm still going to keep the baby, aren't I good". Awful manipulation.