Former abortionists, current medical doctors and abortion survivors to meet in London for healthcare summit and annual “March for Life”
March expected to draw thousands from across the country following recent attempt of UK parliament to decriminalize abortion up to birth
LONDON (4 September) – Thousands are set to march through London on Saturday in support of the right to life of unborn children, and in support of better services to help women avoid abortion.
Abortion statistics released by the Department of Health and Social Care in May 2024 show the highest number of abortions ever recorded in England and Wales, with 252,122 taking place in 2022, an increase of almost 20% from 2021.
1 in 3 women in the UK will have an abortion in their lifetime.
“Something is going very wrong with our country if 1 in 3 women feel abortion is their best option.This is why young women like me are turning out to March for Life."
The March takes place only months after attempts to decriminalise abortion for any reason, up to birth, were ultimately thwarted in the UK parliament due to an election being called before the completion of the Conservative government’s Crime and Sentencing Bill.
However, pro-life campaigners remain concerned about attempts to decriminalise abortion up to birth in the near future.
Lois McLatchie Miller, spokesperson for ADF UK who will chair a panel at the summit preceding the march, said:
“Only 1% of Brits actually support abortion for any reason, all the way up to birth. But if certain MPs had had their way during the previous parliamentary term, this would be the case in Britain today. Decriminalising abortion would have removed safeguards which prevent women from self-performing dangerous, late-term abortions on viable, sentient babies.
“Those MPs are all the more likely to gain support for their efforts under the newly-elected government, meaning women across the country – and their babies – are at risk. Something is going very wrong with our country if 1 in 3 women feel abortion is their best option.
“This is why young women like me are turning out to March for Life. We want support to be empowered mothers – not abandonment to abortion. And we want protection for babies in the womb. In every pregnancy, both lives matter.”
The March for Life is co-organised by Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, the crisis pregnancy volunteer who recently, with legal support from ADF UK, won a £13,000 payout from West Midlands Police after they unlawfully arrested her for praying silently, in her mind, near an abortion facility.
Explaining the reason for the March, Vaughan-Spruce said:
“We’re marching because women, and their babies, deserve far better than abortion.
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“It’s clear that abortion is not healthcare: in fact, studies have shown that as many as 1 in 17 women using mail-ordered abortion pills end up in hospital with complications.
“The abortion industry hides behind a charade of false compassion and misinformation. Healthcare experts will gather on Saturday to expose an important truth – that abortion has a worrying impact on women’s physical and mental wellbeing. Moreover, unborn children are not a disease to get rid of, but are humans, who should be treated with respect and equality. We need societal solutions that support both lives in every pregnancy.”
Abortion isn’t healthcare
The march will begin at the Emmanuel Centre, Westminster, at 1.30pm, and will end at Parliament Square, where the crowd will hear from Dr. Haywood Robinson, a former abortion doctor who – after seeing the impact of the procedure on women and their babies – now campaigns to protect and support both lives in a pregnancy.
Claire Culwell – who survived a botched abortion as a baby in the womb – will also give a keynote speech, highlighting the humanity of life before birth.
Various experts will join together at a pro-life healthcare summit before the march, at the Emmanuel Center, under the theme “Abortion isn’t Healthcare”. More information about speakers and panels can be found here.
Medical doctor and abortion researcher, Dr. Calum Miller, will present on abortion’s impact on mental health.
In anticipation of Saturday’s march, Dr. Miller said:
“We are marching for life, not only because of the millions of babies killed by abortion, but also because of the millions of women hurt by it. The evidence suggests that abortion causes an increased risk of anxiety, suicide, drug abuse and alcohol abuse, and women deserve to be protected from these outcomes triggered by the loss of their child.”
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Pictured: Scenes from the March for Life; Dr Calum Miller; Lois McLatchie Miller; Isabel Vaughan-Spruce; Claire Culwell; Haywood Robinson
