Home Secretary Amber Rudd doesn’t want to hear from pro-lifers and won’t say how much money her review into "harassment and intimidation" outside abortion clinics is costing

Peaceful, pro-life vigils outside abortion centres and hospitals have saved thousands of babies and their mothers from abortion. But now these life-saving, prayerful vigils are under attack from the highest authority.

On Sunday 26 November 2017, the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd MP, announced a review into "harassment and intimidation near abortion clinics".

This review aimed to:

• Gather evidence from police forces, healthcare providers and local authorities.
• Gather ‘detailed evidence and firm recommendations’ to allow the government ‘to take the right action to tackle this problem’.
• Consider what further action the government can take, which could include bolstering or creating new police and civil powers.

We want to bring you up-to-date with the latest development regarding this review. Pro-Life MP Mary Glindon, a friend of SPUC, asked a series of Parliamentary questions about the review (see "Grouped Questions" as well). And she has received some shocking answers.

Firstly, the Home Office completely ignored a question asking about the timetable for the review and what funding the Home Secretary had allocated for the review.

Secondly, the Home Office failed to respond to the request that the groups outside the abortion clinics should be part of the review. The review only wants to hear from "the police, healthcare workers and local authorities".

Thirdly, in reply to a question about how many individuals have been prosecuted and convicted for alleged harassment and intimidation outside abortion facilities, the Home Office stated that it "does not hold information requested".

So in summary:

• There are no records available of anyone being prosecuted and convicted for harassment and intimidation outside an abortion clinic.
• The Home Office is not interested in hearing from those who help desperate women through holding peaceful vigils outside clinics.
• We have no idea what this review is costing taxpayers.

Please contact your MP about this matter, if you have not done so already.

To help you write your letter I am providing:

• A letter from Clare McCullough to Amber Rudd MP. Clare is the director of Good Counsel Network which has been running life-saving vigils for 23 years in Ealing, London. The attack on the Good Counsel Network’s work, was spearheaded by Rupa Huq MP for Ealing Central and Acton.
• Extracts from speeches given by Sir Edward Leigh during a recent debate in Parliament on buffer zones, from which you may like to quote.

You can use the write to your MP function on our website, or you can find your MP's contact details on the Parliament website.

Please circulate this urgent Action Alert to your pro-life friends, family and contacts.

The Home Office is describing the review as an "in-depth assessment of protests outside abortion clinics, following reports that some women have been subjected to harassment and intimidating behaviour from protestors when visiting family planning clinics to seek information, advice and services from medical professionals".This description begs a number of questions:

• How "in-depth" can this review be if pro-life groups cannot participate?
• How does "some women" who say they have intimidated, compared with the hundreds of women whose lives have been turned round for the better thanks to pro-life help?
• How much "information, advice and services" are given to women, other than to hurry them through an abortion?

Please send the response you receive from your MP to katherinehampton@spuc.org.uk

Many thanks to all those who have already contacted their MP asking him/her to write to Amber Rudd objecting to the terms of the review.