The Politics of Abortion (2)

By Ann Farmer | 27 August 2025

This is the eighth of a twelve-part series, which began with Eugenics and the true history of the Abortion Campaign (1).

In the 1980s, Labour Party abortion advocates began a determined campaign to silence pro-life members; by 1986, the Party formally committed to abortion rights. Now, some Labour MPs want all remaining abortion laws removed, meaning abortion up to birth, for any reason — including sex-selective and racist abortion. The Party founded to represent the poor seems oblivious to the disproportionately high abortion rate among the poor/non-white, with “the right to choose” simply “Hobson’s choice” for the economically marginalised, the unsupported and the ethnic minority. This was of course the aim of the campaign’s founders.

Abortion campaigners now want complete decriminalisation,¹ and far from supporting real choice, Labour MPs would criminalise anyone offering positive alternatives to needy pregnant women;² some on the Left even argue that restricting abortion impacts unfairly on the poor, despite the fact that abortion curbs the numbers of poor/non-whites.³ Their “right on” racism has furthered the eugenicist population control agenda of the early abortion campaign, and after the War, in an era of West Indian immigration, overt racism was a key factor in the campaign for reproductive control, as prominent population controllers worked closely with ALRA, financially supporting their campaign for legal abortion.⁴

As seen, in 1990, a Conservative government legalised embryo experimentation and removed the upper time limit for eugenics abortions, and since 2010 Conservatives have introduced abortion pills by post⁵ and imposed abortion on a reluctant Northern Ireland.⁶

And although, in 2018, the Conservative Government rejected calls for a nationwide ban on pro-life vigils offering last-minute, humane alternatives to abortion, citing lack of evidence of “harassment”, in 2022–23 they allowed abortion-supporting MPs to hijack their Public Order Bill to censor any expression of opinion — including prayer, private or otherwise — around abortion centres;⁷ despite warnings against restricting free speech, the Bill received support from both main Parties.⁸

These developments have been aided by scant media coverage. Occasionally we may read a sneer about how fortunate we are that abortion is not an issue in the UK, unlike in the US — ignoring the obvious fact that if they reported the facts, it would indeed be an issue among voters. Regardless of opinion polls to the contrary,⁹ it is implied that there is now a “consensus” around abortion as normal and necessary in any civilised society. And in response to perceived threats to legal abortion elsewhere, there are calls for UK abortion access to be expanded, as when the 2022 US Supreme Court struck down the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which found a right to abortion in the Constitution despite there being no such thing, and despite the later decision merely returning the power of abortion legislation to individual States and thus to the democratic process.¹⁰

Abortion advocacy mostly consists not of arguments but catchy slogans; these fall apart as soon as they are interrogated, and since there is nothing positive to report, the mainstream media draws a veil over the ugly reality. However, occasionally the veil slips, as with the horrendous rise in emergency calls sparked by the “at-home” abortion, and reports of high levels of coercion.¹¹ Even when the media reports on so-called pro-life “harassment” outside abortion centres, they can find nothing worse to illustrate their tall tales than photographs of mostly elderly ladies praying the Rosary. While there is plenty of (unreported) evidence of pro-abortion harassment, there is not a single shred of evidence for pro-life vigils harassing anybody; if there were any such evidence, it would be emblazoned on the front pages of newspapers and taken up enthusiastically by the BBC — indeed, one national newspaper illustrated a story about calls for “buffer zones” with a photograph of pro-abortion protesters.¹²

Unsurprisingly, censorship zones are backed by abortion providers.¹³ They are also backed by the freedom-loving Left, whose interest in population control began decades ago when Western Marxists lost faith in capitalism being overthrown by the masses; now, Labour has pledged to enshrine abortion as a right, for any reason, up to birth.¹⁴

Killing off future voters seems not to be an issue, but with inner-city slum-dwellers relocated to the suburbs, the wealthier leftist classes have recolonised those inner cities and wield political power out of all proportion to their numbers.¹⁵

Meanwhile the Conservatives have failed to conserve human life, and political liberals have become remarkably illiberal when it comes to protecting the rights of the unborn. Environmentalists, while zealously defending non-human life, are less compassionate when it comes to human beings: the Green Party has declared its support for “pregnant persons” by decriminalising abortion, censoring pro-life information and attacking the right to conscience of objectors, while — despite their emphasis on “diversity” — maintaining that sex-selective abortion and killing disabled babies up to birth should be permitted. As a bonus, they also support “the right to die”.¹⁶ The main political parties seem in thrall to the “green” agenda. While “eco terrorists” who damage the economy and disrupt the daily lives of fellow citizens are treated with kid gloves,¹⁷ many politicians support even more draconian measures against a few people praying peacefully outside abortion centres, despite no evidence of harassment, lest God forbid — or as Chesterton would say, godlessness forbid! — lives may be saved. To scarcely any official objection, British justice suffered an historic blow by criminalising silent prayer. In Nineteen Eighty Four, George Orwell’s classic warning against dictatorship in democratic Britain, we encounter “thoughtcrime”, but we now have “prayercrime”.¹⁸

Despite the media’s vested interest in free speech, they appear uninterested in the censorship not only of speech, but silent thoughts; and if this continues, facial expressions suggesting disapproval of abortion — what Orwell called “facecrime” — may also be banned. And if, as claimed, any expression of feeling about abortion traumatises women, then a ban should apply everywhere. As it is, the harassment of pro-life vigils, and the increasingly violent attacks on churches and pro-life centres,¹⁹ as well as the horrible views of abortion advocates — which have gone beyond pleas for abortion only in a few hard cases, to actually loving abortion²⁰ — have gone largely unreported by the media, emboldening advocates to make even more extreme statements and even more extreme demands.

This series will continue next month with “The Politics of Abortion (3)”

Notes

hhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11088859/MPs-urged-decriminalise-abortion-British-women-face-life-prison-terminations.html ↩︎
Labour MP Stella Creasy was criticised for taking her own baby into the House of Commons, where she spoke for the right to abortion.
Ms Creasy has been in the forefront of the campaign to impose nationwide “buffer zones” round abortion centres, prohibiting not only offers of help to needy pregnant mothers, but any expression of opinion on abortion, banning even silent prayers, genuflecting and making the sign of the Cross, on pain of criminal sanctions.
https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=bed173cc9adfcad1e0e442a35&id=a2298a8935&e=35144f3765
https://righttolife.org.uk/news/single-mum-takes-council-to-european-court-over-ban-on-supporting-women-facing-crisis-pregnancies-outside-abortion-clinic ↩︎
https://www.lifenews.com/2023/02/14/washington-post-columnist-defends-killing-poor-black-babies-in-abortions/ ↩︎
For example the Simon Population Trust, whose founder, Lord Simon of Wythenshawe, raised the abortion issue in the Lords in the 1950s, and proposed a trip to Barbados “on two excellent French liners” to study population issues, saying: “Barbados is probably the best example in the world of an overcrowded island where people are comfortable and happy; this partly due to a good deal of financial support from Britain. Their population is increasing at nearly 2% per annum and there is very little birth control” (Letter, Lord Simon to C. P. Blacker, May 8, 1954 (Eugenics Society File: SA/EUG/C356); “The West Indian Settlers: First signs of a British colour problem” (“A special correspondent”, The Times, November 8, 1954); ‘Anxiety about the future if inflow lasts’ (articles, C P Blacker’s personal file (EUG/C23 II 1953-1960)). In the late 1950s/early 1960s, the Society investigated racial differences, race mixing (“hybridization”) in Liverpool, and the differential fertility of West Indian, Pakistani, Indian and Irish communities. The study involved measuring and studying thousands of school children, using spectrophotometry to classify “hybrids” by skin color. This technique, similar to that employed under the South African apartheid system to classify people as “black”, “coloured” or “white”, claimed to find a high ratio of female babies born to mixed marriages; this was significant because it meant more females to procreate (“Immigrants: Research into”, 1954-66 (SA/EUG/D104). £250 was given in 1959 for “Negro x European Hybrids (Pilot enquiry by Ainsworth Harrison)” (“Summary of chief Grants made by The Eugenics Society since 1945” (SA/EUG)). ↩︎
https://www.lifenews.com/2022/03/15/over-600-doctors-demand-immediate-end-to-dangerous-do-it-yourself-abortions/ ↩︎
https://righttolife.org.uk/news/uk-supreme-court-ignores-testimony-of-women-helped-by-pro-life-support-outside-abortion-clinics ↩︎
Clause 9 of the Public Order Bill introducing censorship zones in England and Wales under consideration by Westminster MPs prohibited pro-life volunteers from “influencing”, “advising”, “persuading”, “informing”, “occupying space” or even “expressing opinion” within the vicinity of an abortion facility, with those breaching the rules facing up to two years in prison. However, a 2018 government review into the work of pro-life volunteers outside of abortion facilities found that instances of harassment were rare, and police already had powers to prosecute individuals engaging in such activities. The most common activities of pro-life groups were found to be engaging in quiet or silent prayer, or offering leaflets about charitable support available to women who wanted alternatives to abortion. ↩︎
https://votes.parliament.uk/Votes/Commons/Division/1491 https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/we-dont-need-a-law-against-silent-prayer https://catholicherald.co.uk/uk-crosses-thought-crimes-rubicon-after-mps-outlaw-silent-prayer-near-abortion-clinics/ ↩︎
According to a SavantaComRes poll, the public still do not want “abortion on demand”: in “the most extensive UK polling in a decade on abortion”, there was “a consensus on the issue with only 1% support for pro-choice campaigners’ goal to introduce abortion up-to-birth. Instead, the vast majority of the population show strong support for a range of commonsense policies that they believe would improve on our current approach to abortion in the UK. 89% of the general population and 91% of women agree that gender-selective abortion should be explicitly banned by the law.” 60% of the general population and 70% of women believe that the current 24-week gestational limit for abortion should be reduced. 60% of the general population and 70% of women believe that the current 24-week gestational limit for abortion should be reduced. 93% of women agree that a woman considering abortion should have a legal right to independent counselling from a source that has no financial interest in her decision. 79% of the general population and 84% of women agree women who want to continue with their pregnancies, but are under financial pressure to have an abortion, should be given more support. 79% of the general population support the introduction of a five-day cooling off period to ensure that a woman considering an abortion has had enough time to consider all of the options available to her. 65% of the general population and 70% of parents agree parental or guardian consent should be required for girls aged 15 or under to undergo an abortion. 65% of the general population oppose tax-payer money going to fund abortions overseas. 56% of the general population agree that doctors with a conscientious objection to abortion should not have to participate in abortion procedures against their will.” Lastly, 76% of the “general population agree that doctors should be required by law to verify in person that a patient seeking an abortion is not under pressure from a third party to undergo the abortion” (“SavantaComRes interviewed 2,008 British adults online between 12 and 14 May 2017. Data was weighted to be representative of all GB adults. SavantaComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules”). https://righttolife.org.uk/polling at 28 March 2023. ↩︎
For example, James Whale, “Zealots have no right to deny women a choice on abortion” (Daily Express, 4 July 2022).
TV personality and Express columnist Judy Finnigan remarked: “It feels like our pleasant western world is changing, very suddenly, for the worse” – we never dreamed of Russia invading the Ukraine, thus “menacing our peace and prosperity”, or thought the American “consensus on abortion, always fraught with conflict”, would change “so that women will no longer have a constitutional right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy”, adding: “Their right to choose (even after rape) will depend very much on the state they live in.” She warned: “After decades of sunlit uplands, we’re now living in dark times… our values under almost constant grave attack. We’ve been lulled by comfort into decadence. We must fight back. It’s the only way” (“We need to fight our way back from dark decadence“, Daily Express, 2 July 2022). ↩︎
https://www.lifenews.com/2022/08/30/911-calls-jump-64-as-dangerous-abortion-pills-injure-more-women-at-home/ https://gript.ie/64-increase-in-999-calls-ambulance-dispatches-over-abortion-pill-concerns-uk-investigation-finds https://spuc.org.uk/News/Articles/ID/384839/Pieces-of-my-child-had-been-let-inside-me-Women-describe-abortion-complications-in-documentary/utm_campaign/4d41d705ff-news190520_COPY_01/utm_medium/email/utm_term/0_826f492851-4d41d705ff-148123137/mc_cid/4d41d705ff/mc_eid/c2228029a3?utm_source=SPUC+News+List ↩︎
In October 2022, The Independent illustrated a story about a Parliamentary free vote on the introduction of nationwide buffer zones, allegedly justified by claims of pro-life harassment, with a photograph of ‘pro-choice’ protesters. Pro-lifers Isabel Vaughan-Spruce and Father Sean Gough were discharged after a Magistrates’ Court hearing into charges of breaching PSPO around a Birmingham abortion centre, h and to date no evidence of so-called harassment has been offered to support the campaign for nationwide “buffer zones”. A similar position pertains in Scotland and Ireland, despite similar claims. ↩︎
https://www.lifenews.com/2022/08/30/911-calls-jump-64-as-dangerous-abortion-pills-injure-more-women-at-home
https://gript.ie/64-increase-in-999-calls-ambulance-dispatches-over-abortion-pill-concerns-uk-investigation-finds
https://spuc.org.uk/News/Articles/ID/384839/Pieces-of-my-child-had-been-let-inside-me-Women-describe-abortion-complications-in-documentary/utm_campaign/4d41d705ff-news190520_COPY_01/utm_medium/email/utm_term/0_826f492851-4d41d705ff-148123137/mc_cid/4d41d705ff/mc_eid/c2228029a3?utm_source=SPUC+News+List ↩︎
https://righttolife.org.uk/news/labour-pledge-to-introduce-abortion-for-any-reason-up-to-birth
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/28/labour-mp-in-bid-to-include-right-to-abortion-in-british-bill-of-rights
https://www.preciouslife.com/news/801/labour-party-manifesto-includes-the-introduction-of-abortion-right-up-to-and-including-the-moment-of-birth/ ↩︎
https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/2023-review/ ↩︎
In February 2023, in a statement of policy the Green Party said it “recognises that currently-available methods of contraception cannot prevent all unintended pregnancies, that not all intercourse is consensual and that pregnant people have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their life situations and choices. The Green Party views the safeguarding of individual freedom and moral autonomy in making reproductive choices as fundamental for a progressive society” (HE 700). The Party would allow medical staff no “conscience” opt-out and would label pro-life information on abortion as “misleading”: “The Green Party would ensure that all medical staff involved in publicly-funded counselling and healthcare involving a person’s reproductive health are committed to providing unbiased, patient-led, and medically accurate advice, regardless of their personal moral convictions. The Green Party would allow private and charitable providers of abortion counselling to provide private “anti-choice” advice, though this should be clearly stated in all advertising to prevent the misleading of persons at risk of exploitation. The Green Party would not allow these providers to be advertised on any publicly-funded health information or signposted from any state-funded institution eg prisons, schools” (HE 704). The Party’s terminology – “pregnant persons” – ironically highlights their downgrading of women even while purporting to defend their “rights” to “healthcare” (abortion) and while discriminating against disabled and female fetuses: “The Green Party is aware that issues such as sex selection, time limits and disability screening have been raised in attempt to restrict the rights of pregnant persons. The Green Party acknowledges that these can be controversial, but ultimately believes that no socio-economic, cultural or other social group should be stigmatised and denied healthcare. The ultimate decision about whether or not to terminate a pregnancy is never taken lightly and should always lie with the pregnant person” (HE 705). The Party also pledged to completely de-criminalise abortion: “The Green Party believes that no person should face imprisonment for ending their own pregnancy. A Green government would ensure that abortion is removed from the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act and is instead governed by the same robust regulatory and ethical frameworks as all other medical procedures. As abortion is a devolved issue in Scotland and Northern Ireland, it is intended that this policy would apply to England and Wales” (HE 706). As a bonus, the Party pledged to introduce assisted suicide: “Assisted death presents moral and legal concerns to health care professionals and the public. We believe that people have a right to an assisted death within the following framework…” (HE 808). ↩︎
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-11362995/JAN-MOIR-treat-green-zealots-kid-glove-indulgence.html ↩︎
Ms Vaughan-Spruce successfully appealed against the result, but was subsequently arrested again on similar grounds.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/02/17/catholic-priest-pro-life-activist-cleared-after-arrest-for-silently-praying-outside-abortion-clinic/
https://www.lifenews.com/2023/02/16/court-dismisses-charges-against-pro-life-woman-arrested-for-praying-outside-abortion-center
https://www.lifenews.com/2023/03/06/pro-life-leader-arrested-again-for-silently-praying-outside-abortion-biz/ ↩︎
While swift to charge pro-lifers with offences, US authorities have been slow to investigate offences against churches and pro-life centres and bring charges against violent pro-abortion activists. https://www.lifenews.com/2023/03/01/merrick-garland-says-doj-not-prosecuting-attacks-on-pro-life-groups-because-they-happen-at-night/ ↩︎
Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson noted that Congressional Democrats had been pictured wearing lapel pins that “replaced the American flag on their lapels. Notice that the ‘O’ in abortion is in the shape of a heart. They literally love abortion. … Maybe you think abortion should be legal, but do you love abortion? … If you feel that way you should know that you are not defending a medical procedure… You are promoting an ancient religious right called human sacrifice.” He said U.S. Senator Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, and U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pennsylvania “both posted photos of themselves on social media wearing golden lapel pins that read “ABORTION” with a stylized O with a heart inside. … Markey said the pins were a gift from Planned Parenthood” (“Tucker Carlson Blasts Democrats on Abortion: They’re “Promoting Human Sacrifice”, LifeNews, February 9, 2023). ↩︎

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.