End anti-abortion harassment outside the Bournemouth abortion clinic!

[sistersupporterbournemouth]

The abortion clinic in Bournemouth (Ophir Road) experiences some of the worst anti-abortion harassment in the country, with anti-abortion groups harassing and intimidating women and pregnant people accessing the clinic.

These women do not just constitute people with unwanted pregnancies, but a multitude of people who come from challenging situations, such as victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse, children, and those having to abort wanted pregnancies due to non-viability. Abortion is, for many, highly private and nerve-wrecking and no woman wants to deal with anybody gathering outside clinics to harass them or 'bear witness' to their treatment. You wouldn't tolerate this behaviour going to your GP, dentist or hospital appointment. Staff and local residents also have to endure this near-daily harassment.

At Sister Supporter Bournemouth, we have launched a petition to persuade the council to introduce a buffer zone around the clinic, banning anti-abortion groups from harassing women and pregnant people. We thought that the wonderful BCP-council-area-based people of Mumsnet would be interested in sharing our campaign and signing our petition. If you want to know more about Sister Supporter and our campaign, you can find more information here.

If you're interested in taking a more active role in sharing our campaign work, you can sign up to become a Sister Supporter Champion here.

Divided by a common language, as they say.

The UK is a different country to the US, JustAnotherPoster. We don't have the same laws and Roe V Wade is an irrelevance here.

Culture war started in the states, uk GC feminists are also happy to repurpose the imported word woke to mean anti left, that also started in the states, uk GC feminists are also more offended by the use of the word Karen than actual racism and so we seem to import a lot of our culture from the states including some of our bigotry, but if youre happy to be on the side of the people denying women abortions, you do you

Wild assumptions and mental gymnastics award goes to you. 🏆

I'll give a for that wild leap into irrational territory.

How did we get from decrying the obfuscation of the term "woman" to being abortion deniers?

Used, as I am, to the many turns and twists of the more, erm, determined posters here, that has left me in the met[pahorical dust!

Well I suppose we shall have to respectfully agree to disagree on this. People will always have opposing views, it will just come down to the balance of human opinion in the long term.

What are you disagreeing about, in that post?

That language matters?

That women matter?

That it does / doesn't matter of a few men sneak in to 'being' women?

What is it you are actually saying? Cos, as I have said, your 'logic' has lost me!

on the side of the people denying women abortions

War is peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.

That it does / doesn't matter of a few men sneak in to 'being' women? Actually in this context it will be relevant for trans men and non-binary individuals. There are people who’d rather not be called women. They will appreciate it. It also does say women. It includes women.

Anyway back to the point of the thread, I think that Roe v Wade is very relevant to UK politics around abortions and the protesters. I don’t think touch wood that rights are in imminent danger here, but I think it’s more than likely that anti choice protesters will feel empowered by such a major decision being made in a supposed 1st world country. Buffer zones are desperately needed and maybe will become more so.

The anti-abortion protests in Bournemouth are disgusting, and relatively new. It is very worrying.

I am against the erosion of the word woman too but I assume in this case it means transmen, and as a pp points out, non-binary people, since transwomen are not going to be going to Bournemouth for an abortion. And to be honest anyone needing an abortion has my support to not be harrassed for doing so, whatever they want to call themselves.

I live in BCP- have signed.

Having been to this clinic and walked past 2 men 'protesting' (intimidating), I agree that this is disgraceful and needs addressing. However, language matters and we must be able to say 'women' and 'mothers' and know what that means. Pregnant people are women. I worry about groups who campaign for things like this if they are so worried about causing offence that they are unable to stick to the correct terms.

I don't understand why this has become an argument about the use of the term "pregnant people". For all I care the person needing to use this service could identify as a pig. They still have the right to treatment and don't deserve to be harassed during a time that many find really difficult. Whatever your opinions on gender identification or lack of gender, its irrelevant here.

I went to that clinic a couple of years ago for a surgical management of a missed miscarriage of a much-wanted baby. The staff inside were lovely but it was unspeakably awful trying to get through the protesters. They are utterly vile people to treat vulnerable women in that way.

We chose this platform as it has more impact with the local council, who we are lobbying, rather than change.org. It needs to be people who work, live, or study in the BCP council area. Hope this helps!

We are aware that some people are disagreeing with the phrasing of "pregnant people". We hope that this disagreement doesn't impact with people's willingness to sign the petition if you live, work and study in the BCP council area. We freely acknowledge that the vast vast majority of people accessing abortion services are women, and identify as such, and so are the women who are harassed as they try to gain entry. Equally, men and women who work at the clinic, as well as local residents and even a bin man who emptied the clinic bins have been harassed. However, regardless of your opinion of other people's gender identity (which in itself is bodily autonomy and a right to do with their bodies as they see fit), there are some people who do not identify as women who have sought abortions, whether you choose dispute that or not is irrelevant to the ultimate issue which is anti-abortion harassment.

Regardless, not signing the petition based on disagreement with our phrasing will only negatively impact the women we are trying to protect.

We are a volunteer led and run, grass roots organisation so are not able to monitor all forums we post on exhaustively. Apologies for the delayed reply. You have to live, work or study in the BCP council area to sign the petition.

Thank you

We're so sorry that happened to you AmongstTheCosmos. If you wanted to share your story, you can submit your experience at www.sistersupporter.co.uk anonymously and this is then passed onto the council as evidence of impact. We hope you've managed to move on from this horrible ordeal x

Morning, everyone. Just letting you know we've moved this over to our Petitions topic.

Have registered and signed .

there are some people who do not identify as women who have sought abortions

And yet they are women.

And therefore come under the banner of pregnant people or aren't women people, is that what you're arguing against? Transmen don't need to be represented at all then in your opinion?

This with bells on!