An update on the decriminalisation amendment
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Dear
SPUC supporter,
I just wanted to update you on Diana Johnson’s extreme decriminalisation amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill. The Government has confirmed today that Bill will not be debated until after the Easter recess – so until at least 15 April.
This gives us more time to lobby MPs to vote against this. The longer this campaign goes on, the more MPs and the media are realising what this amendment would mean – DIY abortion up to birth.
Here’s a reminder of what you can do to oppose this amendment.
1. Attend our demonstration outside Parliament
NEXT WEEK, we will be holding a demonstration outside Parliament to oppose this amendment. If you live in London or can reach London easily, please consider joining us.
Date: 19 March 2024
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Place: King George V statue, opposite Old Palace Yard and Peers’ Entrance.
Please let us know if you are going to come to the witness. It is important that you do this so that, if necessary, we can contact you with further details and developments. You can find more information and register to attend here:
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2. LOBBY your MP
Thank you to everyone who attended our webinar last week. Now that we have more time, we will aim to hold another one for those who missed it. We are asking those who feel able to go and see your MP in your local constituency and lobby him/her on this issue. You will need to look up when your MP holds constituency surgeries or takes appointments to see constituents. Here are some brief notes from the webinar to help you.
- Take notes/bullet points about what you want to say. MPs will try and deflect on ideological or political issues, so be sure about the points you wish to raise;
- Thank them for both their time and for one other piece of work they have done that you like. Make sure it isn’t related to the pro-life cause as MPs will take you more seriously if you are not apparently a single issue voter;
- Do not be surprised or dismayed if MPs have not heard about your issue of concern. Unless an issue is of particular or personal concern to them, it is extremely unlikely they know about the amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill, or their full implications;
- Make your points personal. If you can, relate them in some way to your own experience or history, or a friend/acquaintance you can reference anonymously. Personal stories will cut through to MPs much quicker and more effectively that statistics, so tell them why you personally are concerned about the issue you are raising;
- Do not expect to change your MPs mind then and there. They will not have time to get drawn into a long discussion/debate with you, they will many other appointments, surgeries and meetings that day. Your goal is to plant seeds that the MP will think on, and then be reinforced by others speaking to them or writing to them. We will not win these battles on an individual basis, but together we can achieve much.
You can find our briefing on the issue here:
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3. SHARE our MP tool
Thousands of people have been using our webtool to contact their MPs, covering an amazing 86% of all MPs. Let’s make sure 100% of MPs are getting multiple letters from their constituents! You can find information about writing to MPs, including the webtool here:
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Thank you for all your work on this so far. Let's use the extra time we have to do everything possible to stop this horrific amendment.
We know that not everyone is able to lobby their MP in person or to travel to London at short notice, so please support this effort in whatever way works best for you.
With best wishes,
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Alithea Williams
Public Policy Manager
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p.s – please copy any replies you get from MPs to us – it is very useful for intelligence. You can post it to the London HQ or email a scan to [email protected]
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