We’ve been contacted by some UK students, concerned that an anti-abortion society has been formed on campus - and seems to have been officially recognised by the university. Here are some anti-choice arguments you might hear and why they need to be challenged…
“Having an abortion involves killing a baby”
No. An abortion is a medical procedure, to intentionally end a pregnancy. In the UK, abortion is allowed up to 24 weeks of development. At this stage a fetus is unable to feel pain(1) or function and live outside of a womb(2).
“Abortions are dangerous and harmful to pregnant people”
No. Legal abortions are very safe. Having an abortion provided by healthcare professionals is safer than giving birth(3). It is also safer than having your tonsils out(4), running a marathon(4) or even taking viagra(4).
Meanwhile unsafe abortion (e.g. restricted access to legal, medically supervised care) is a leading cause of preventable deaths of pregnant people(4).
“Allowing anti-abortion groups to form and carry out their activities on university campuses is an important part of free-speech and democracy”
No. Universities have a duty of care to their students and must ensure their resources are not used to harm them. Whilst everyone is entitled to hold private views on abortion and make decisions about their own bodies and healthcare, anti-choice groups do not exist to support these principles. Instead, they exist to promote stigma and fear around abortion care - as well as to spread misinformation that contradicts leading health authorities such as the WHO, that recognise that abortion care is a common and important part of reproductive healthcare(4).
“Being allowed to express anti-abortion views in public is an important part of religious freedom”
No. People of many faiths choose to have abortions(5). Having access to safe and legal abortions, without shame or fear, does not take away a person’s individual right to decide what is spiritually or ethically right for them. Promoting abortion stigma and misinformation however, does challenge this right. It can cause harm by making it harder for someone to seek abortion care.
What can you do to challenge harmful anti-abortion views on campus?
Encourage accurate and stigma-free abortion discussion with those around you. You might like to share this blog, our mini-series on abortion(6) or projects that portray accurate experiences of abortion(7) to help do this.
Report any harm you or other students experience on campus from anti-choice groups - for example to NUS reps, university wellbeing and health services, or your course tutor.
Talk to any university groups who might want to help support - perhaps your university’s FemSoc or health education group might want to hold an event or take action around abortion rights.
References:
RCOG (https://bit.ly/389Rb3P)
RCOG (https://bit.ly/3LW14AD)
Raymond and Grimes, 2012 (https://bit.ly/389P93G)
W.H.O. (https://bit.ly/38UjX8B)
Guttmacher Institute (https://bit.ly/3Fm8c77)
schoolofsexed.org/blog-articles/2020/4/16
msichoices.org.uk/abortion/abortion-stories/
Our book ‘Sex Ed: An Inclusive Teenage Guide to Sex and Relationships’ is out now.