Alliance for Choice

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Dear MLA (name here)

RE: Private Members Bill; Abortion Services, Safe Access Zones

You will be aware that your colleague, Clare Bailey MLA has presented the above Bill to the Assembly for debate, the second stage of which is scheduled for Tuesday 12th October. Irrespective of your party or personal stance, we are urging you as an elected representative, to support this Bill in its entirety. 

As people who have had abortions, Alliance for Choice have been subjected to street harassment and abuse when accessing clinics and healthcare facilities. As clinic escorts we have witnessed first-hand, aggressive harassment and its traumatic impact on women and pregnant people. Moreover, we hear regularly from women who are traumatised by anti-abortion protesters when they have accessed abortion care. We also work with healthcare professionals forced to endure routine harassment, whilst they are expected to conduct clinical practice with megaphones and sound systems blaring abuse into their treatment rooms and terrifying their patients.

It is completely unacceptable that women and pregnant people, their friends and families, and healthcare workers should be forced to run the gauntlet of abuse and harassment. This would not be tolerated for vasectomy or any other healthcare, reproductive and otherwise. Given the small size of NI some of those who contact us do not want to attend their most local provider as they are worried they will be identified while accessing the service. We have even been contacted by people with family members who are protesting outside the clinic, which makes it impossible for them to access without opening themselves to stigma and abuse.

The right to protest is fundamental but it is not unqualified, it relies on the protestors not causing or calling for harm to minorities or inflicting harm through language that will discriminate based on race, gender, sexuality and so on. Such tactics are not legitimate protest and infringe on people’s rights, privacy, safety, mental health and access to legal abortion care. The fervent harassment is targeted deliberately and directly at abortion seekers and those who provide legal abortion services. 

It includes: 

• Blockage of entrances

• Unwanted engagement even after requests to stop

• Unwanted, scaremongering and misleading anti-abortion and anti-vaccination literature 

• Filming of patients, family and friends and healthcare workers

• Verbal abuse: referring to people as ‘murderers’, baby-killers, or ‘mother of a dead baby’ after their appointments, patients being told they are ‘eternally damned to hell’ 

• Patients having ‘holy water’ thrown over them or salt.

• Prayer vigils - including large judgemental, decontextualised scripture passages on placards.

• Plastic dolls being given names and women being told this is ‘their’ baby

• Patients being told they can get breast cancer from having an abortion

• Patients being told that abortion will ruin their fertility and future family plans 

• Patients being told they will develop mental health issues because they have had an abortion

• Patients being told they are more likely to be an abusive parent after an abortion

• Parents accompanying women, being told they are an accessory to the murder of their grandchild 

• Patients, friends and relatives being pursued in the street 

• Patients being physically assaulted 

• Graphic and misleading foetal images

• Patients being told that images of them will end up on social media

This is by no means an exhaustive list of what women have been subjected to. (See further information below)

None of this is passive protest, it is harassment and abuse. Neither is it simply ‘free speech’, as is claimed, it seeks to target women, pregnant people and healthcare workers with harmful consequences. You cannot claim to defend free speech unless you are prepared to call out those who twist it for targeted harassment.

In recent months, many political leaders have condemned the behaviour of those involved in ‘anti-vax’ protests outside hospitals. A number of anti-choice organisations and individuals are also vocally anti COVID vaccination and have produced unscientific and problematic literature in and around the vaccine. If many politicians agree that such behaviour outside healthcare facilities is unacceptable, then it should also be unacceptable that women, pregnant people and healthcare workers are subjected to the same and oftentimes worse treatment when it comes to accessing legal abortion healthcare

We urge you to support the Bill as in no other area of healthcare would such degrading treatment of women and workers be acceptable.

Alliance for Choice
Co-Convenors - Naomi Connor and Emma Campbell

The information below are testimonies from people who have encountered the protesters and contacted Alliance for Choice via an online form that we ask them to complete to describe such encounters. It has been online since January 2020 and this list is not exhaustive.

• “I have lived in England for nearly a decade yet every single time I am back in Belfast city centre without FAIL I will witness anti choice harassment. I was once verbally abused after simply walking PAST a crowd of anti-choicers blocking the entrance to the old MSI clinic in 2017. My mother had a violent miscarriage and I would regularly warn her if I heard there were gory images of fetuses plastered around town. This happens REGULARLY and has done for decades. It is part of the reason myself and many others leave NI and don't look back. Precious Life and similar organisations have used harassment tactics for years. It is a disgrace especially AFTER recent news of the scale of abuse in mother and baby homes. It’s TIME for the women of NI to be able to go into TOWN (never mind while trying to access health care) without fear of harassment by abusive anti choicers.”

• “I had an appointment in a solicitors office across the road from John Mitchell place Newry, I was so scared entering hill Street newry”

How many people

• “Approx 20-30 protesters the last day I saw. One man with a microphone and loud speaker roaring about hell and sin. All with placards of fetus’ or big black writing saying babies are murdered here.”

• “5 on one side of the entrance junction to the clinic and 3 on the other side as well as someone recording the protest across the road”

• “Approx 20-30 protesters the last day I saw. One man with a microphone and loud speaker roaring about hell and sin. All with placards of fetus’ or big black writing saying babies are murdered here.

• “Mostly men, some vulnerable adults, about 15”

• “There must have been about 20 people, no social distancing, scary pictures”

• “People lined the footpath on both sides of the road, approx 20-30 maybe”

• “2 older men. One had a priest's collar and no mask. The other wore a mask.”

Covid safety

• The woman with the clipboard was not wearing a mask. I made a complaint about what was happening to the police woman present. I said it was a breach of Covid rules which state only to leave for limited essential purposes. The police woman told me the 'protestors' had told her they were there for work purposes and they worked for Stanton Health Care. She said her Sargent was in the jeep working on it

• No. None of them wore masks and they did not stand socially distanced from each other

• No distancing. No masks on any of them, man with speaker was from Bangor(he said himself) so he’s broken the travel restrictions for a start. Cara from Tipperary.

• No masks, occasionally not socially distanced from each other and you have to go threw the middle of them

• Nobody was socially distancing at al

• Not many masks, distanced for the most part, some in twos and threes

• One wore a mask. The other didn't. They weren't socially distancing from each other

• No masks, distanced partially but not when having their conversationS

• One wearing a mask the others no. One is well known anti abortion woman Bernie smyth who is not from Newry so obviously broke travel restrictions.

• The young woman was not wearing a mask and they were all directly outside the clinic coming in contact and approaching people. They were grouped together

• No masks, no social distancing, arguably blocking the side walk meaning close contact for people walking past or into the hospital

Did they have images - can you describe them?

• The had pictures of foetuses and a picture of Holy Mary

• They had pictures of foetuses and religious images propped up against the wall of the building

• Signs saying “children being murdered here”

• They had images and a bag of things they must have planned to give out. I didn’t interact with them I was so afraid of them that I got a taxi from the airport straight to the door of the clinic and picked up to leave the same way

• Yes, posters about the humanity of the unborn child

• Placards as mentioned with early stage pregnancy fetus. Signs of all sort with diff messages

• Yes, dismembered babies at different stages. Signs that are offensive and basically calling every1 thats ever needed an abortion a murderer

• Cut up babies, they had dead baby pictures

• Both men carried placards. One referred to murdering babies. The other had an image of what appeared to be a foetus in a womb

• Very graphic images. Distressing for anyone especially children and those affected by miscarriage or still birth. Many of whom will have to pass these to access health services

• All anti abortion, slogans, images, dismembered babies. Murder is done here signs.

• Graphic abortion images

• Horrendous images, of babies still in the womb, nothing anyone would want to see on their way to receive treatment for their mental health.

• 4 large placards with graphic images of what they say are aborted fetus’

• They did not have images but they had signs reading "babies are murdered here" in red blood like writing.

• Yes they were carrying signs, sometimes graphic, using guilt tactics and slogans such as ‘my life matters’

• Aggressive posters with pictures of foetuses saying babies are killed here and other signs saying we love you and abortion is not healthcare

What were they doing or saying

• At the time I was there, there was one woman holding a clipboard outside the door. However I recognised a woman I've seen on the TV called Bernie Smyth standing on the street opposite the clinic making a phone call. She is from a group called Precious Life.

• Two women were standing either side of the front door to the Health clinic, as if they were doormen. The third woman, the one with the clipboard walked back and forth in front of the door.  She then stopped and began a conversation with a passerby. The woman with the clipboard was not wearing a mask and was not socially distanced from the passerby. I was so outraged by this disregard for the Covid regulations that I approached a police vehicle that was parked nearby. I made an official complaint to the police.

• Baby killer, evil bitches getting abortions, whores, fallen women. never calm always abusive. Actively blocking not only the entrance to clinics but the whole pavement

• Talked about babies being murdered and detail when the abortion clinic is running and state that they want to share the gospel with people using the facility

• I didn’t interact with them they were across the street from the clinic, I did stand at the doors and have a cigarette and was nervous but they didn’t shout at me.

• Silent protest, no blocking or interaction with the passersby

• Main man shouting over speaker non stop, rest were silent but standing the whole length of the clinic wall so very intimidating for anyone entering

• Shouting through a speaker chanting verses turning them into anti abortion verses.

• They had a speakerphone and were rambling on about christ. Calling us anti christ.

• Today they were silent but very intimidating

• They were handing out leaflets and engaging with passersby

• Holding graphic disturbing posters. Verbally abusive to anyone who challenged their imagery and location choices

• Standing with the same cards they had a few weeks ago at JMP in Newry and clinic was moved and now they are outside that clinic which is also right outside mental health and as someone who’s had a miscarriage and suffers ptsd and goes to counselling i cannot attend an appointment if they are here.

• Blocking a footpath

• Standing at the entrance so anybody accessing the hospital can see them and their signs.

• No shouting but held signs

• This is a 10 week baby

• As I was leaving the clinic the woman approached me not wearing a mask saying she could help me. Even though before my boyfriend had went outside before me and said not to be talking to me.

How did the protestors make you feel

• The pictures made me sick to my stomach. They are incredibly distressing to view. The thought that this woman with the clipboard was there to harasses women accessing health care shook me to the core. My distress was exasperated by the fact that it was the day after the report on Mother and Baby homes was released. One of these homes had an infant mortality rate of 75%. What I saw today is the same as the attitude that created and enabled the incarceration of women and forced adoptions in these homes. It is now 8 hours since I witnessed this and I still feel wretched. I can't stop thinking of those poor women who had to pass this horror show today so that they could access their basic human right to health care.

• I am a man but I immediately thought of my daughter and other young women like her.  I was saddened and angered at the thought of a young woman  with an unwanted pregnancy having to walk that gauntlet to access information and care . I am outraged and disgusted that these people are allowed to intimidate and bully pregnant women. Regarding the breach of Covid regulations, Initially I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Contemptuous and flagrant disregard for Covid regulations, their own health and safety, and the health and safety of others. I found their rank hypocrisy deeply infuriating. The were professing to care for the 'unborn', while showing total disregard for the living

• sick. They are why I have never moved back home. the lack of respect for women in NI is unparalleled

• Uncomfortable and trapped. There were protesters on each side of the road as well as the road opposite the clinic. The person recording also made me feel uncomfortable.

• Angry. Frustrated that the police weren’t moving them along. If they can’t for freedom of speech as they said they could at least for covid restrictions

• Traumatised, Bernadette Smyth has personally traumatised me.

• I felt really nervous even from when I booked the procedure at the thought of protesters being there. I felt anxious and panicked when I arrived in the taxi and ran straight in the door

• Extremely intimated, i have ptsd from a complicated birth after i suffered a miscarriage and these images are so traumatising ive been waking up soaked in sweat and my nightmares have returned contantly running round a hospital searching for my baby

• I felt very scared

• Intimidated, I'm a midwife who works there and felt very uncomfortable walking past these people

• Really angry and upset.

• Intimidated, and also frustrated and angry that they are allowed to do all of this freely without any intervention from police especially given it is taking place at a City healthcare facility

• Angry, sad, upset, emotional, lost, alone, resentful, intimidated

• Uncomfortable and inadequate

• Sick to my stomach, no longer receiving treatment there but personally I could never attend my appointment after passing something like that. Never mind it being a personal issue for some people, outside a mental health unit is just sick. They were also holding signs saying that there are babies killed inside that building. Which I’m pretty sure is false. I wanted to go back to counselling but until I know that there will be none of this happening, I will not be returning.

• Angry. Why aren’t they being moved! Police need to move them or set up a perimeter that they must stay behind away from the main entrance.

• I was just passing by but as a person who accessed a similar service in the past I found this a "triggering" experience.

• It is shocking and cannot imagine how a couple who've experienced miscarriage or still birth would feel - as well as those who avail of their bodily choice

• Angry, upset, I felt like my life and my choice didn’t matter

• This made me angry abortion is legal and should be accessed safely without the judgment. I was so anxious because of the harassment and also upset by it.

• Angry and upset

Can you easily describe how it made others feel

• I can't imagine how the woman felt who had to pass these images and the woman with her clipboard. I know what it's like to have a crisis pregnancy.  What you need is support, not to be lied to and attacked with salacious images. I was lucky enough to have my abortion in a secular country where it was accepted as a woman's right. Exclusions zone must be put in place around Health Care Facilities so that women and people accessing services are protected from this type of horror show and harassment

• I saw a young woman approach the building, see the women and images outside it and then hastily turn on her  heel and go back the way she came.

• My mum was with me and she was worried for my sake about how these protesters would make me feel during such a difficult time

• Uncomfortable. Angry, frustrated, motivated to get them moved

• Angry, frustrated, traumatised. Sad as they had a wee girl around 5 standing holding a sign

• One woman stopped to confront the men. She started crying. My heart broke for her. She was clearly very upset by the placards these men were carrying and by what they were saying to her.

• Others also very frustrated and angry that this is allowed to happen

• Intimated, angry, hostile

• Angry. Frustrated, sad

• This had made my boyfriend angry after because he seen I was already anxious about them and for them to verbally harass me