Gibraltar Abortion referendum

[FloralBunting]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/07/religious-leaders-compare-abortion-holocaust-row-grows-gibraltar/

I'm guessing that some of us are aware that there is an upcoming referendum in Gibraltar on proposing to relax the strict abortion laws. This article shows the opposition to this, fronted by men, and using tried and tested prolifer messaging. Solidarity with our sisters in Gibraltar who are in the midst of this. (I can't access behind the paywall, sorry)

Of note is that I picked up the link on this article from Humanists UK and Prof Alice Roberts. I haven't got the energy to bother asking today, but I wonder if the Humanists and Roberts think it's at all significant that access to abortion is an issue rooted in female biology, and the opposition of powerful religious men here is the essence of Gender structures that oppress women?🤔

Do women travel from Gibraltar then? Like they used to from Ireland when I lived in Liverpool. And does Spain allow it?

When I had my abortion in London there was a couple from Gibraltar in the clinic, they had traveled so far. 💔

Yes, I believe so.

That's such a shame, there's pro-life campaigners outside my work just now hospital, the huge majority are old men. Luckily they are banned from the grounds so the majority of patients won't see them

Sarah Olney Lib-Dem MP has a PMB to restrict such protests.

Expect Chope will torpedo it at the first opportunity.

When I lived in Gibraltar (20 years ago now) and went to get a prescription for the pill I had to go to a different doctor, as the first one I'd booked an appointment with wouldn't prescribe contraceptives. Then I had to try 3 pharmacies before I found one that would dispense it to me (for the full price of the medication) - as someone coming from the UK it brought home how different it was in other places.

A friend there had her first baby there, but specifically flew to the UK to have her second (despite the brand new hospital)

There's both a large orthodox Jewish population, and catholic population, and everyone knows everyone else and their business (it's only 5km long). Across the border is La Linea - which a fairly poor town, or up the coast there's Cadiz in one direction, or Malaga/Marbella etc in the other (which I would presume would have private clinics that would do this).

When you live in Gib you do cross the border frequently anyway - although there was always the joke among some of my local colleagues that straying too far from home gave them a nosebleed.

Solidarity and support to the women in Gibraltar campaigning on this. Can't be easy with such opposition.