EFC is happy to promote the Pro-Choice demo happening next Saturday (9th July 2011) in London, to its friends and followers. This blog gives a bit more information on why we think this action is so relevant and important. To register your attendance visit the Facebook page and follow @ProChoice9July #prochoicedemo2011 for up to date information.
Recent months have seen a number of worrying intrusions into our reproductive rights in this country. Including:
• Nadine Dorries’ and Frank Field’s ‘Right to Know’ campaign which posits abortion providers as having a ‘vested interest’ in persuading women to end their pregnancies, and argues for ‘independent’ centres to provide pre-abortion counselling. EFC believes these amendments are based on a false premise – that women aren’t currently getting impartial, evidence-based support with their pregnancies. Our research into crisis pregnancy centres in England also suggests that a great deal of ‘independent’ centres do not provide impartial accurate information but rather, are driven by an anti-abortion agenda. Read a thorough debunking of this campaign by Darinka from Abortion Rights here.
• Anti-abortion charity Life invited to sit on the government’s Sexual Health Forum. LIFE is a well funded charity with a large profile and has every right to promote its anti-abortion position. However, as a lobbying group with no commitment to evidence-based clinical practice, or to promoting and providing good quality contraceptive and reproductive health care, it simply has no place on this group, which otherwise consists of sexual health experts, clinicians and service providers.
• Michael Gove commends the new SRE council of abstinence education groups. LIFE and Care (a Christian organisation which opposes abortion) join 5 other abstinence/anti-choice groups on the new SRE council which has been welcomed by the education minister. See our blog for more information on these groups and more information on why abstinence doesn’t work.
• Nadine Dorries’ abstinence education for girls. Worryingly, Tory MP Dorries’ misguided bill to teach girls abstinence passed the first stage vote in parliament. Another reason to keep on our toes and make the case for evidence-based comprehensive sex education.
EFC supports the rights of young people to accurate information and good quality, evidence-based information on abortion; and their right to impartial support with pregnancy decision-making. We believe that current developments will impact most on young people by depriving them of essential information and diverting them away from health professionals who could give them the support they need to access services quickly.
Those of us who believe women should have access to safe, legal abortion and they and their partners and families access to evidence-based information on contraception, pregnancy and abortion need to stand up for these rights before they are eroded.
Join EFC on the demo to make a stand for the pro-choice majority and for young people in this country.
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