Dear
SPUC supporter,
Last week we started our autumn email fundraiser. The news of the expediting of the Assisted Suicide Bill meant that last week’s updates focussed almost exclusively on this imminent threat. But this has not meant that the other core areas of our struggle have been neglected. Far from it! We must raise at least £60,000 in order to continue all the vital projects we are engaged with and to keep the flame of life alive in the public arena.
|
|
Last month I was interviewed on the Catholic Unscripted podcast, hosted by Katherine Bennett and Mark Lambert.
I was asked: “What is the ‘mood’ of the British people when it comes to abortion? And is there a ‘desire’ in the UK to change the current abortion law?”
|
|
Good questions.
Here are my responses:
- The sad reality is that most people don’t actually think a great deal about abortion.
- Most are more or less conditioned into accepting it, pigeonholing abortion into hard-case categories like rape and severe disability, then they forget about it and focus instead on their everyday lives.
But this indifference towards unborn human life - and other fundamental societal pillars which support it such as marriage– is resulting in a culture of death and despair which is proving disastrous for us all.
The problem: those speaking out against the culture of death are getting cancelled
As the shrill voices of those who will the destruction of this country’s rich Christian cultural heritage are afforded more column inches and airtime by popular media platforms to put over their case, today our message of truth and hope is being censored more than ever.
- University free speech under threat
Since the 1960s, our opponents have fully exploited the generous free speech rights afforded to university faculty and students alike to attack the foundational pillars of our common Christian heritage.
Yet the previous Conservative government was so concerned about the abuses being suffered by traditionally-minded students who dared voice their views openly on UK campuses (including pro-lifers) that it enacted legislation to protect their free speech rights.
A SPUC/Alliance of Pro-Life Students survey conducted in 2021 found that pro-life students are possibly THE most vulnerable groups on university campuses.
- 70% of respondents felt that they were unable to share their pro-life opinions while at university, whether with fellow students or in lectures or seminars
- 50% said they had been threatened, abused, alarmed or distressed – through actions or by words – by another student or academic because of their membership with pro-life groups.
Censorship and even violence against pro-lifers on UK campuses today are sadly commonplace:
- In February of this year, students from the Manchester Pro-Life Society were spat at and threatened with physical violence, including rape, on a Manchester University campus. Had the police not intervened serious injuries could well have resulted.
The Free Speech Act Imperilled
In August, just days before the long-anticipated Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act was due to come into force, in an act of imperious arrogance, it was suddenly halted by new Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson.
Ms Phillipson says she is now considering repealing the Act altogether citing fears from “vulnerable groups” as it would expose universities “to costly legal action".
Toby Young of the Free Speech Union has stated that the actions of the Secretary of State in simply overturning The Free Speech Act could themselves be illegal. He is asking for a judicial review and is exploring the possibility of taking legal action against the government.
- Pro-lifers lumped in with terrorist groups
Incredibly, “anti-abortion ideology” was added in March to the government’s Prevent scheme to stop radicalisation and terrorism and the media today is labelling pro-life views as ‘extreme’ or ‘far-right’.
- Big Tech interference in the democratic process
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s company banned adverts crucial to the pro-life campaign from running on his social media platform during Ireland’s 2018 abortion referendum, resulting in its defeat and the legalisation of abortion.
- Pro-life prayer could be criminalised
Just last week army veteran and father of two, Adam Smith-Connor was found guilty of breaching a censorial “buffer zone” with prayerful thoughts in his mind. He was ordered to pay £9,000 in costs.
|
|
|
On the 31st October the buffer zone legislation will come into force, which means the banning of pro-life vigils within 150 yards of abortion centres.
I am so concerned about the growing threats to speech, assembly and religious freedom that SPUC has been in touch with other rights groups with a view to the possibility of joint legal action.
Should we decide to go down this route court costs at the initial stage would begin at around £20,000.
|
|
While court action may indeed be necessary to help the pro-life movement break free from the totalitarian-like grip of government and corporate censorship that is silencing our message today, an altogether different approach will be required to ‘fix’ the larger cultural issues – not least the indifference to life in the womb – a step that will necessarily precede the repeal of the Abortion Act.
Creating a ‘desire’ for abortion law repeal
I am thrilled to announce that SPUC is launching a series of NEW projects to help spur on positive cultural change.
Each new initiative acts as a ‘launch pad’ for ordinary people to become ambassadors for life in their everyday lives.
By being invited to participate in a pro-life activity they feel comfortable undertaking supporters will be well-positioned to spread the word to others in their immediate circle.
Just about anyone can receive a ‘crash course’ on a particular life issue of their choice – e.g., IVF, euthanasia, DIY abortion pills and women’s health.
The next step is simply sharing those KEY FACTS and INSIGHTS with others who may be interested.
This might be friends, family members, work colleagues, or a bigger audience that is reached by publishing hard-hitting pro-life FACTS online via social media platforms, blogs and the like.
Today I am appealing for your help to fund one such project:
Project Truth Alumni Network
Project Truth is the UK's largest pro-life youth outreach initiative.
Each summer a team of young people – often students – volunteer their time and courageously take the pro-life message directly to well-populated town/city centres across Scotland.
Team members respectfully approach members of the public and politely initiate a discussion on abortion.
In addition, pertinent information is handed out including the:
- Biological development of unborn babies in the womb
- Crisis pregnancy help services
- Support for women (and men) struggling after an abortion
The project is all about bringing the truth to the streets, a truth often hidden because of the contentious nature of the abortion issue.
|
|
TEN years of life-saving activity
The Project Truth Alumni Network was launched last month to mark this important milestone.
- The Alumni Network will offer hundreds of highly skilled and motivated past team members from the UK and Ireland a chance to continue their involvement in the pro-life cause.
- Alumni include several doctors, lawyers, teachers, journalists and religious…people who may still have a significant role to play in altering the culture for the better.
Owen Roberts, SPUC’s lead organiser took these photos of September’s Alumni Network launch dinner in Glasgow where almost 100 Project Truth ‘old hands’ were in attendance.
|
|
Owen told me:
“The Alumni Network will run projects for members across the country throughout the year.
Activities will involve promoting the pro-life message in Education, Politics, and the Arts.”
Estimated cost: £30,000
Will you give £10 or £20 or £25 or £30 or £50 or £100 or £500 or £1,000 or more to help bring about a pro-life culture by supporting grassroots initiatives like Project Truth and The Alumni Network?
|
|
With pro-life censorship at an all-time HIGH changing the ‘mood’ about abortion in Britain and creating a ‘desire’ to change the law must start at the grassroots.
If you can, help us turn around the disastrous culture of death which is proving so devastating to unborn babies, and blighting so many women’s lives.
|
|
Initiatives like Project Truth and its Alumni Network provide the CORE truths needed to chip away at decades of anti-life propaganda and censorship one conversation at a time.
But carrying out this important counter-cultural work is simply impossible without your generous and ongoing support.
|
|
Thank you for fighting for a new culture of life.
Yours in defence of life
|
|
John Deighan
Chief Executive
|
|
|
|
