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SPRING Appeal
Dear
SPUC supporter,
A debate on abortion decriminalisation could take place at Westminster, possibly just eleven days from now.
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As things stand, abortion in England and Wales is a criminal offence unless carried out in compliance with the terms of the 1967 Abortion Act.
- The Abortion Act massively expanded abortion in the UK when it came into force on 27th April 1968 (56 years ago this month)
Under the 1967 Abortion Act
- More than 10.3 million babies have perished under the Act since it came into force
- An unborn baby can be legally killed up to 24 weeks (or, in the case of disability, up to birth)
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However, under the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929 and the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, it is still a criminal offence to kill an unborn child outside of the provisions of the Abortion Act.
For instance, under the Abortion Act, a legally induced abortion must be:
- Performed by a registered medical practitioner
- Certified by two registered medical practitioners
Both the 1861 and 1929 Acts, however, are currently the target of prominent pro-abortion Labour MP Diana Johnson.
Johnson has submitted an extreme abortion amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, which would strike down both laws where they apply to “DIY” abortions.
The Johnson amendment could come up for debate as soon as 15 April.
Should Parliament vote for the amendment, the Abortion Act would be nullified, and abortion in England and Wales decriminalised, making it LEGAL to kill an unborn child up to BIRTH for women performing their own DIY abortions.
On 19 March, SPUC supporters mounted a demonstration in London outside Parliament to draw attention to and oppose the Johnson amendment.
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Abortion decriminalisation would have TWO principal effects:
1. More babies will be killed in the womb
In the UK, we are already witnessing appallingly high levels of abortion.
An explosion in chemical DIY home abortions —where pills are ordered by telephone and delivered by post—is driving an abortion epidemic.
Kevin Duffy, public health consultant and former research director at SPUC, stated in February that annual abortions in England and Wales are expected to top 250,000 for the first time.
- That would be a staggering 42,000 additional unborn babies killed by abortion in the space of 12 months (or a 17% year-on-year increase)
To give you some idea of how big a rise that is, the average percentage increase in abortions over the past 53 years is UNDER 3% per year
We are seeing an almost SIXFOLD rise in the killing.
DIY abortions
Most abortions performed in Britain today are DIY abortions induced at home.
There is currently a 10-week limit on DIY abortions. Beyond that point, they are considered unsafe.
But should abortion be decriminalised, that 10-week safety limit would no longer be enforceable.
Desperate women would likely be tempted to ignore the risks and take pills to abort their baby even at the latter stages of pregnancy.
Take the tragic case of Lily.
Last year, a woman was sentenced to 28 months in prison (later remitted) for falsely obtaining abortion drugs past the legal limit and ending the life of her unborn baby.
The baby, who was named in court as ‘Lily’, was between 32-34 weeks old (8 months) when DIY abortion drugs ended her life.
Lilly’s mother obtained the drugs during the first Coronavirus lockdown of 2020.
UK abortion giant BPAS posted the abortion drugs to her after a virtual (telemedicine) consultation.
As is standard with the pills-by-post scheme, NO face-to-face meeting took place, and no ultrasound or physical examination was undergone to determine the stage of pregnancy or the mother’s wellbeing.
On 11 May 2020, after taking the abortion drugs, an emergency call was made saying Lily’s mum was in labour.
Baby Lily was born not breathing during the phone call and was confirmed dead about 45 minutes later.
Stoke on Trent Crown Court heard the mother had searched "how to have an abortion without going to the doctor" and "how to lose a baby at six months".
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2. More women will be hospitalised
The second group of people that would be most negatively impacted by abortion decriminalisation—and one whom Diana Johnson and the abortion lobby repeatedly shy away from discussing publicly—is WOMEN.
Should taking abortion pills beyond the 10-week limit no longer be classified as a criminal offence, more women will be tempted to abort well beyond the ‘safe’ limit.
EVEN WITH A 10-WEEK LEGAL LIMIT IN PLACE, pills-by-post abortions are proving to be incredibly dangerous for women.
In the five years from January 2019 (when the pills-by-post scheme was introduced) to December 2023, 39,000 women have needed medical treatment for complications.
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That’s a staggering 1-in-16 DIY abortions going wrong and requiring some kind of medical intervention.
Should the law change, the dangers which DIY abortion poses to women will only increase.
I find it extremely troubling that Diana Johnson does not appear to be in the least bit bothered about the women whom her amendment would harm by the removal of safety limits.
Sadly, this disdain for women is widespread among Johnson’s colleagues.
The abortion industry does NOT seem to care about the dangers women are exposed to because of abortion pills
Never was this clearer than when the Royal College of Gynaecologists (RCOG) issued guidance earlier this year stating that its members should NOT report illegal late-term abortions (which are the most dangerous to women) to the police.
- The RCOG is behaving as though it is beyond the law
- Law-abiding doctors who refuse to go along with the RCOG guidance face losing their jobs
Not only that but the deterrent effect that legal abortion time limits provide would be lost too.
The result would be far higher incidences of hospitalisation associated with self-aborting late on in pregnancy.
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I was one year old when the Abortion Act was passed on 27 October 1967.
Most SPUC supporters were either not born then or too young to do anything to prevent its passage.
The Johnson Amendment poses the biggest threat to unborn children (and women) this century.
This is very much a 1967 moment for two or three generations of supporters.
That’s why I am determined that the vote in Parliament won't end in defeat.
The resources that are being invested to oppose the Amendment are unprecedented, including:
1. Parliament Demonstration
On 19 March 80 supporters attended a SPUC demonstration outside Parliament. Pro-lifers came from all parts of Britain, including Scotland and Wales.
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2. Webinars
Two special live webinars have been staged on Zoom to help supporters put pressure on MPs to oppose the Johnson Amendment.
Attendees were given a crash course in international law, including treaties ratified by the UK which recognise the unborn foetus as a child deserving of full legal protection.
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Estimated cost: £1,500
3. MP Lobbying
We have produced a detailed briefing and invited SPUC’s 30,000 supporters to contact their MPs in a variety of ways, including:
- In-person at local constituency surgeries
- By Letter
- Online using our new MP tool (an amazing 86% of all MPs have been contacted this way so far)
Estimated cost: £3,000
4. Advertising
We are spending a record amount on advertising to alert MPs and their constituents to the dangers posed by the Amendment, including Ads aimed at:
Ads placed in Conservative Home, Guido Fawkes and Labour List
Cost: £19k
Full-page ads in two major conservative magazines
Cost: £8k
Voice ads on Premier Christian Radio and Premier Gospel Radio
Cost: £3k
Full-page ad in a Catholic newspaper (2 weeks)
Cost: £3k
We would like to place video and image ads on popular platforms like X, Facebook and Instagram
Cost: £5k
5. Churches
We will be encouraging Catholic clergy to help raise awareness, too, including:
- Mailing, emailing and phoning parish priests with a request to urge parishioners to contact their MPs
Cost: £8k
Will you give £10 or £20 or £35 or £50 or £100 or £500 or £1,000 or more to help block the deadliest threat to unborn children and their mothers this century?
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Thank you for your steadfast support of precious unborn babies and their mothers.
Yours in Defence of Life
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John Deighan
Chief Executive
PS – SPUC will be staging Pro-Life Chains to mark the 56th anniversary of the Abortion Act on Saturday, 27th April.
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Dozens of Chains line busy roads leading into towns and cities every year, from Plymouth to Edinburgh.
Thousands of passing motorists witness these peaceful and silent acts commemorating the millions of unborn babies killed and the women hurt by abortion since the 1967 Abortion Act was implemented.
But each Chain involves the cost of advertising the events, printing and distributing placards, as well as staff time to ensure that each Chain goes off safely with all necessary legal obligations met.
This unique public witness would NOT be possible without the support of generous supporters like you.
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