Life at Risk: A Defining Week for the UK 

March for Life UK

In the span of just five days, the British Parliament took two deeply troubling steps that threaten serious consequences for the legal protection of human life.

On Tuesday, 17 June, Members of Parliament (MPs) voted 379 to 137 to decriminalise abortion — removing all criminal penalties for women who end their pregnancies at any stage. This decision eliminates essential legal protections for both mothers and babies, including for dangerous at-home abortions that take the lives of fully viable babies up to birth.

Just three days later, on Friday, 20 June, MPs also voted to move forward with a bill that would legalise assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, empowering doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to those deemed to have less than six months to live.

Together, these decisions send a deeply unsettling message: that life is only worth protecting when it is considered supposedly healthy, wanted, or useful.

March for Life UK

Abortion Up to Birth — After Just Two Hours of Debate

The vote to decriminalise abortion took place with only two hours of debate — despite the sweeping implications of the proposal.

While current UK law already allows abortion beyond 24 weeks in a range of broadly defined circumstances, this amendment removed critical legal protections for viable babies in the womb and for women in difficult situations.

Supporters presented the move as an act of compassion toward women, but in reality, only 1% of British women support abortion until birth.

What the law now permits is not just rare: it is extreme. It removes protections that help prevent dangerous, self-managed, late-term abortions and leaves women to face serious risks alone, often in desperation.

This is not compassion. It is abandonment.

Assisted Suicide: A Dangerous Precedent

The bill to legalise assisted suicide follows the same deeply flawed logic. If passed, it will enshrine into law the false logic that ending a life can be an acceptable form of care. While its advocates insist it will be accompanied by “safeguards,” evidence from other countries tells a different story.

Take Canada, for example. Less than ten years after assisted suicide became legal, it now accounts for 4% of all deaths nationwide — a figure that continues to climb. Vulnerable people, especially those who are elderly or disabled, report feeling pressured toward death when what they truly need is support, dignity, and community.

Once a healthcare system begins to treat death as a solution, it becomes the cheaper, easier, and ultimately, default response.

A Culture of Abandonment — Not Autonomy

Both the abortion amendment and the assisted suicide bill were framed as measures that expand personal freedom. But in truth, they represent a profound abandonment — wrapped in the language of choice.

When the law permits abortion at 35 weeks, or offers lethal drugs in place of palliative care, it tells society that life is no longer sacred. Instead, the right to life is treated as negotiable — granted only to those society deems worthy.

A Better Vision for Britain

But this is not the only way forward.

There is another Britain — one that values every human life, from the youngest child in the womb to the most fragile person nearing life’s end. It is a Britain shaped by the truth that every person bears God’s image and possesses inherent dignity.

Both measures now go to the House of Lords. While the abortion amendment cannot be fully blocked, it can still be challenged and delayed. The assisted suicide bill, meanwhile, faces opposition from many peers who have pledged to resist its advance.

The Lords must give these bills the scrutiny they lacked in the Commons — and ask the hard questions others ignored.

This is a moment that calls for moral clarity. For people of faith to respond — not only in Parliament, but in practice. By supporting mothers in crisis. By walking with the dying. By upholding the dignity of the disabled. And by telling a different story: that every life is a gift, and that no one is beyond the reach of love.

Britain is facing a crossroads. And now, more than ever, we must have the courage to say no to death — and yes to life, in every stage, and every circumstance.

U.S. Government calls out Australian authorities for blocking online speech; Musk, “Billboard Chris” win case to overturn censorship of biologically-accurate “X” post 

  • Investigative report by the House Judiciary Committee exposes Australian “eSafety Commissioner” Julie Inman-Grant’s co-ordination with international bodies to censor lawful online speech
  • eSafety Commissioner lost battle to censor post using biologically-accurate pronouns against Musk, Billboard Chris this week

Washington/Sydney (2 July 2025) – The Australian government’s authority to censor opinions expressed on “X” is under scrutiny after an investigation by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee into the activities of Australia’s “eSafety Commissioner”, Julie Inman-Grant. 

The groundbreaking report into international state censorship highlights concerns only days before news broke of a legal win for free speech against the same State Office. 

“This is a decisive win for free speech and sets an important precedent in the growing global debate over online censorship."

- Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, which co-ordinated Elston's legal case

Elon Musk’s “X”, and children’s safety campaigner Chris Elston (“Billboard Chris”), challenged the eSafety Commissioner’s decision to censor a tweet using biologically-accurate pronouns to describe a trangender activist appointed to an “expert” position on gender at the WHO. 

Elston’s post was deemed “cyber abuse” by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, which ordered X to remove the content. X initially refused, and later geo-blocked the post in Australia.  

Both X and Elston challenged the order, arguing that the censorship was a violation of the fundamental right to free speech. Elston’s legal challenge was coordinated by ADF International, in conjunction with the Human Rights Law Alliance in Australia. The Administrative Review Tribunal in Melbourne held a week-long hearing on the case commencing March 31, 2025.  

The Tribunal found that the eSafety Commissioner made the wrong decision in determining Elston’s post was “cyber abuse” and set aside the decision.    

In his finding, Deputy President O’Donovan noted compelling words from Elston’s own testimony to evidence his satisfaction that Elston was not engaging in abuse, but rather, expressing his deeply-held convictions about biological truth: 

“He [Chris] does not believe that a man can transition to being a woman or vice versa. He summarises his position as follows:  

“Because I believe that sex is immutable, I am personally convicted that I will not use incorrect pronouns to describe any person, including trans-identifying people who identify as the opposite sex. I will use their preferred names, but I only use sex-based pronouns, because I don’t think it is loving, progressive, or ethical to lie to a person and affirm that they are something that they are not. I believe that calling a man a woman (and vice versa) is not only untrue, but also has implications for the rights and safety of women and children.”  

[141] “I am satisfied that it is his universal practice to refer to a transgender person by the pronouns that correspond to their biological sex at birth. I am also satisfied that when he classifies a person as either a man or a woman, he determines which classification to use by reference to their biological sex at birth, rather than the gender related characteristics that they currently express. I am satisfied that he believes doing otherwise has implications for the rights and safety of women and children…” 

In May, the U.S. State Department condemned the eSafety Commissioner’s actions as part of a broader global trend toward coercive state censorship.   

U.S. Government reports concerns about international censorship efforts

The new report released this week from the House Judiciary Committee reveals new evidence showing how an international WEF-linked advertising consortium, the “Global Alliance for Responsible Media” (GARM), leveraged its vast advertising power to coordinate censorship efforts. The GARM was found to be working not only with major global advertisers, but also with foreign regulators, including Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman‑Grant, to suppress disfavoured online speech. 

In published emails, the report shows that Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman‑Grant explicitly relied on GARM’s insights, stating it “ha[d] some very powerful levers at [its] disposal” and requesting updates to inform her regulatory decisions.  

The Committee’s report concludes that GARM’s coordinated international efforts—with its commercial might and foreign regulator collusion—constrain citizens’ ability to access content freely, contravening free speech principles, undermining consumer choice, and posing serious antitrust concerns. 

Comments and reactions

Reacting to the ruling upholding his freedom to speak the truth on “X”, children’s safety campaigner Chris “Billboard Chris” Elston said: 

“I’m grateful that truth and common sense have prevailed.  

“This decision sends a clear message that the government does not have authority to silence peaceful expression.  

“My mission is to speak the truth about gender ideology, protecting children across the world from its dangers.  

“With this ruling, the court has upheld my right to voice my convictions—a right that belongs to every one of us.  

My post should never have been censored in Australia, but my hope is that authorities will now think twice before resorting to censorship”.   

Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, which co-ordinated Elston’s legal challenge said: 

“This is a decisive win for free speech and sets an important precedent in the growing global debate over online censorship.  

“In this case, the Australian government alarmingly censored the peaceful expression of a Canadian citizen on an American-owned platform, evidence of the expansive reach of censorial forces, even beyond national borders.  

“Today, free speech has prevailed. This is a victory not just for Billboard Chris, but for every Australian—and indeed every citizen who values the fundamental right to free speech.” 

In a post responding to the news, “X” Global Government Affairs Team said: 

“In a victory for free speech, X has won its legal challenge against the Australian eSafety Commissioner’s demand to censor a user’s post about gender ideology or face an approximately $800,000 AUD fine. The post is part of a broader political discussion involving issues of public interest that are subject to legitimate debate.  This is a decisive win for free speech in Australia and around the world. X will continue to fight against coercive state censorship and to defend our users’ rights to free speech.” 

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Pictured: Chris Elston; Chris Elston with ADF International’s Lois McLatchie Miller at the Sydney Opera House; Chris Elston with the ADF International team who co-ordinated his legal case

U.K. Premiere of “Live Not By Lies” Shines Spotlight on Erosion of Freedom in the West 

  • Feature premiere of timely documentary highlights erosion of freedom of expression in Britain, including through recent prosecutions of citizens who have silently prayed near abortion facilities 

  • NYT Bestselling author Rod Dreher, film writer/director Isaiah Smallman, and victims of state censorship including Adam Smith-Connor (convicted for silent prayer) to attend black tie evening on Monday 30th June 

LONDON (26 June 2025) – On 30 June, thought leaders, journalists, and advocates for liberty will gather in London for the U.K. gala premiere of Live Not By Lies, a powerful new documentary from Root/Cause and Angel Studios.  

Based on the bestselling book by Rod Dreher, the documentary issues a stark warning about the quiet rise of authoritarianism in Western democracies—an erosion of fundamental freedoms long thought secure. 

The exclusive screening of the film in central London will be opened with remarks from public commentator Konstantin Kisin, reflecting on his family’s experience as dissidents living under the Soviet Union.  

"Live Not By Lies exposes disturbing parallels between Soviet-era totalitarian regimes and the ideological pressures mounting today in the United Kingdom and beyond."

- Isaiah Smallman, Filmmaker

The documentary screening will be followed with a panel discussion and opportunity for dialogue with leading voices on freedom of speech, conscience, and association, including bestselling author Rod Dreher and filmmaker Isaiah Smallman. 

“Live Not By Lies exposes disturbing parallels between Soviet-era totalitarian regimes and the ideological pressures mounting today in the United Kingdom and beyond. Through chilling testimony and rigorous analysis, the film compels viewers to consider the real cost of staying silent in the face of encroaching censorship and compelled ideology,” commented filmmaker Isaiah Smallman.  

“As we witness what’s happening in the streets and courtrooms of today’s West – where citizens face prosecution for voicing their beliefs online, or even praying silently in their heads near abortion facilities – this documentary is a timely reminder that the right to free expression must be zealously defended,” added ADF International spokesperson Lois McLatchie Miller, featured in the film discussing the legal organisation’s cases defending individuals prosecuted for peaceful expression in abortion facility “buffer zones”. 

Amongst other examples, the documentary examines the story of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who was arrested in 2022 for praying silently near an abortion facility in Birmingham.

Vaughan-Spruce was charged, tried, found innocent, and re-arrested weeks later for the very same activity. After several months of investigation, with support from ADF International, Vaughan-Spruce received £13,000 compensation from police. However, attempts to criminalise silent prayer continue across the country.  

The event is by invitation only. Media interested in covering the premiere and panel discussion are encouraged to contact Lois McLatchie Miller by June 27th.  

Trailer below:

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Pictured: Lois McLatchie Miller, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce

Digital Services Act

The DSA is at the heart of Europe’s censorship industrial complex, consisting of a number of interwoven regulations and codes that give an unaccountable bureaucracy broad power to censor speech. 

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Chile’s Congress Calls for Immediate Suspension of “Gender Transition” Programs for Children 

  • Chamber of Deputies adopts groundbreaking report calling for the immediate suspension of “gender transition” programs for minors and a full legislative overhaul in Chile 
  • Investigatory commission found off-label use of puberty blockers, lack of parental consent, and public funding for unapproved medical interventions in children 

SANTIAGO (16 May 2025) – In a landmark move, Chile’s Chamber of Deputies has adopted the findings of a Special Investigatory Commission calling for the immediate suspension of government programs that promote the medicalized transition of minors.

The Commission’s report was adopted on Thursday by the majority of the deputies present in the Chamber. It details systemic medical, legal, and ethical failings in the state’s handling of children and adolescents who experience gender-related distress. 

““Chile has become the first country in Latin America to confront the harms of the gender-affirming model through a democratic process."

- Tomas Henriquez, ADF International Director of Advocacy for Latin America

 

“Chile has become the first country in Latin America to confront the harms of the gender-affirming model through a democratic process. Congress has taken a courageous step in protecting children from the irreversible dangers of so-called ‘gender transition’,” said Tomás Henríquez, Director of Latin America Advocacy for ADF International. 

“The Commission found that programs like PAIG – Crece con Orgullo and the Trans Health Program (PST) have operated as a pipeline to irreversible medical interventions, including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for children as young as ten, without scientific basis, regulatory oversight, or parental consent.”

The report highlights the following major findings: 

  • Children as young as three years old were referred for gender identity programs. 
  • 1,716 minors were identified as recipients or in line for hormone therapies in 2023 alone. 
  • None of the drugs used—including GnRH analogues—have been approved by Chile’s public health regulator for gender dysphoria in children. 
  • Parental consent procedures were absent or inconsistent, and some interventions proceeded without it. 

The report states: 

“It is clear that the current programs, under the guise of accompaniment, have operated as a gateway to irreversible medical and hormonal transition for children, without the necessary scientific, ethical, or legal safeguards.” 

 It further states: 

“The therapeutic indication of these treatments in minors lacks adequate evidence and carries high risks. The principles of medicine—primum non nocere (first, do no harm)—have been disregarded.” 

 The report calls for: 

  • Immediate suspension of the PAIG and PST programs 
  • A ban on hormonal and surgical interventions for all minors 
  • Legislative reform of Chile’s Gender Identity Law to restore parental rights and restrict access 
  • Referral to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for possible criminal violations 

It is widely expected that the Congress will now move to legislatively bar the use of puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, and so-called surgical transitioning for minors. 

The report follows last year’s vote introducing an amendment to ban the use of public funds for “gender transitioning” of children. That amendment was later struck down by the Constitutional Court over separation of powers grounds, but this vote reveals a consolidated majority of lawmakers in favor of restricting “gender transition” for minors. 

 Henríquez added: 

“This is a turning point—not only for Chile, but for the entire region, in the disavowal of the lie of gender ideology. Lawmakers have listened to the evidence, the science, and the voices of parents. The so-called gender-affirming model is collapsing globally, and Chile is now leading Latin America toward a more responsible and ethical approach to gender dysphoria in youth.” 

The report mirrors international developments such as the UK’s Cass Review, which concluded that the so-called “gender-affirming approach” lacks an evidence base and places children at risk. It also follows the release of the US Department of Health and Human Services Gender Dysphoria Report in April. 

ADF International has urged Chilean authorities to implement the Commission’s recommendations without delay and to ensure that all children receive compassionate, evidence-based psychological support without being steered toward dangerous life-altering medical procedures. 

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PICTURED: Tomas Henriquez

As Albanese claims electoral victory, U.S. State Dept warns Australia: Don’t censor free speech on 𝕏

  •  U.S. State Dept. “deeply concerned” about foreign censorship on U.S. social media platforms – including Australia’s censorship of Canadian campaigner “Billboard Chris” (Chris Elston)
  • Elston legally challenged the Australian eSafety Commissioner for censoring his post on gender ideology last month. ADF International supported the case

MELBOURNE (5 May 2025)  – As the Labour Party claim victory in Australia’s election, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor has issued a warning to the government not to censor free speech on U.S. social media platforms.

Listed as an example of such “concerning” behaviour is the decision of the Australian eSafety Commissioner to require Musk’s 𝕏 to censor Canadian campaigner “Billboard Chris” (Chris Elston), who posted a criticism of gender ideology, and used biologically accurate pronouns to describe an Australian “transgender” activist, in a now “geo-blocked” post in 2024. 

Elston is a public campaigner against puberty blockers being given to children.

“If our free speech can't be protected when we speak out against the greatest child abuse scandal in the world right now, when can it be?”

- Chris Elston ("Billboard Chris")

The State Department’s statement, released on social media, reads:

“The Department of State is deeply concerned about efforts by governments to coerce American tech companies into targeting individuals for censorship. Freedom of expression must be protected – online and offline.

“Examples of this conduct are troublingly numerous. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton threatened X for hosting political speech; Türkiye fined Meta for refusing to restrict content about protests; and Australia required X to remove a post criticizing an individual for promoting gender ideology.

“Even when content may be objectionable, censorship undermines democracy, suppresses political opponents, and degrades public safety. The United States opposes efforts to undermine freedom of expression. As @SecRubio said, our diplomacy will continue to place an emphasis on promoting fundamental freedoms.”

Reacting to the news of the State Department’s intervention, Chris Elston (“Billboard Chris”) said: 

“It’s tremendous to have the State Department support what we all know is true: free speech is a fundamental right, critical to a democratic society. 

If our free speech can’t be protected when we speak out against the greatest child abuse scandal in the world right now, when can it be?” 

Both 𝕏 and Billboard Chris, who was supported by ADF International and the Australian Human Rights Law Alliance, legally challenged the decision in Melbourne last month. The result is expected in the second half of this year. 

Australia censored post using biologically accurate pronouns to describe "transgender" activist

The Australian eSafety Commissioner defended the decision to censor Elston’s post before a Tribunal in Melbourne last month by arguing that a post using the biologically accurate pronouns of a transgender activist was “likely …intended to have an effect of causing serious harm” and should therefore be subject to state-enforced censorship, in accordance with Australia’s Online Safety Act.

The post in question, which was subject to a “removal notice” at the hands of the eSafety Commissioner in April 2024, shared a Daily Mail article headlined “Kinky secrets of UN trans expert REVEALED: Australian activist plugs bondage, bestiality, nudism, drugs, and tax-funded sex-change ops – so why is he writing health advice for the world body?” and which included pictures posted on social media by transgender activist, and WHO expert panel appointee, Teddy Cook.  

In February 2024, Canadian internet sensation and children’s safety campaigner “Billboard Chris” (Chris Elston), took to U.S. social media platform “X” to share the article, adding the comment: 

“This woman (yes, she’s female) is part of a panel of 20 ‘experts’ hired by the @WHO to draft their policy on caring for ‘trans people.” 

“People who belong in psychiatric wards are writing the guidelines for people who belong in psychiatric wards.” 

The takedown order was legally challenged by Elon Musk’s platform “X”, and by Elston. ADF International and the Human Rights Law Alliance are supporting Elston’s legal case.  

In his evidence, Elston told the Tribunal that while the first sentence of the tweet was a specific comment to the Daily Mail’s story on Teddy Cook, his second sentence was intended more broadly, to make a political comment about the ideological bias present amongst those in positions of power and influence when it comes to writing gender policy around the world. 

Speaking on the witness stand, Elston added: 

“It’s damaging to teach children they are born in the wrong body…children are beautiful just as they are. No drugs or scalpels needed.” 

Asked further about why he chose to post on this matter, Elston explained: “Because the World Health Organisation has global influence. We should have evidence-based care.” 

Freedom of political communication is protected as an implied right under the Australian Constitution. 

Robert Clarke, Director of Advocacy for ADF International, which is backing Elston’s legal defence, said: 

“The decision of Australian authorities to prevent Australian citizens from hearing and evaluating information about gender ideology is a patronizing affront to the principles of democracy.  

“The confidence of the Australian eSafety commissioner to censor citizens of Canada on an American platform, shows the truly global nature of the free speech crisis. 

“Speaking up for free speech is critical at this juncture, and we’re proud to be backing Billboard Chris as he does just that.”  

Members of the public are invited to support Chris’s legal case here: https://adfinternational.org/campaign/support-billboard-chris   

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Pictured: (1,2) “Billboard Chris” (Chris Elston)engaging in street activism; (3) Chris Elston with the ADF International team supporting his case; (4) Chris Elston with Lois McLatchie Miller (ADF International) in Sydney