Ideas about “choice” and “autonomy” are central to the abortion industry. In reality, however, many abortions take place because a woman feels she has no choice – either because of her circumstances, or because she has been forced by her partner, family, or even medical professionals.
It is important to understand the reasons why women have abortions – including the horrific phenomenon of abortion coercion – in order that we can campaign for protections for vulnerable women and their children.
A recent BBC poll found that 15% of British women had been coerced into having an abortion that they did not want. This data is shocking – and shows that coercion in abortion decisions is an urgent and immediate threat to women’s health and wellbeing and is an often-unrecognised form of domestic abuse.
We need to make MPs aware of this problem.
On 25th October 2023, SPUC held an event in Parliament specifically on coerced abortion. Thank you to everyone who invited their MP to the event. A number of them told us that it was your email that prompted them to come, so it really does make a difference!
We need to keep working to get Government to recognise the problem of coerced abortion, and to take action to combat it.
Order Public Awareness Materials
We need to raise public awareness that coerced abortion is a form of abuse.
We have produced a range of materials which you can spread around your local community.
Hayley’s Story
“I was a child. I was scared. In that moment, I felt more lost and alone than ever“
At just 16, Hayley was a victim of coerced abortion. Facing pressure and even violence from her partner, family, and friends, she felt she had no other choice. The abortion clinic failed to identify the abuse she was facing, despite her exhibiting many red flags.
“I found out that I was pregnant when I had just turned 16. Of course, Scott didn’t want to hear about it. He demanded that I have an abortion. I spoke to my uncle; he called me many hurtful names and threw me out.
I was a child. I was scared. In that moment, I felt more lost and alone than ever. Nobody wanted me around. I wanted Scott back. ‘I need him’ was all I could think. I only felt seen and wanted when I was with him – which was crazy, I know.”
Ready Hayley’s Full Testimony
Abortion and Coercion
The Facts
Many women are coerced into undergoing abortion by others.
In an article in the Times, a post-abortion counsellor wrote that “Coerced abortion is one of the most unrecognised and insidious forms of domestic abuse. Typically 75 per cent of the women who summon up the courage and bravery to make a call for help regarding an abortion were pressurised or bullied into having one, in almost all cases by the man involved”.
Daniel Callahan, an ethicist in favour of abortion, even writes, “[…] that men have long coerced women into unwanted abortion when it suits their purposes is well-known but rarely mentioned. Data reported by the Alan Guttmacher Institute indicate that some 30 percent of women have an abortion because someone else, not the woman, wants it.”
Informed Consent
Hayley’s Story
“I was a child. I was scared. In that moment, I felt more lost and alone than ever“
Abortion coercion is not just a tragedy, it goes against a fundamental of medical ethics and international law – the principle of consent.
The NHS states: “For consent to be valid, it must be voluntary and informed, and the person consenting must have the capacity to make the decision.”
The meaning of voluntary is – “the decision to either consent or not to consent to treatment must be made by the person, and must not be influenced by pressure from medical staff, friends or family.”
It is clear that this criteria is often not met in the context of abortion. Action is needed to ensure that no woman’s rights are breached.
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