‘Extreme’ US anti-abortion group ramps up lobbying in Westminster

The UK branch of the Alliance Defending Freedom has increased its spending and is forging ties with key MPs

Shanti Das, Home affairs correspondent
Sat 6 Apr 2024

A rightwing Christian lobby group that wants abortion to be banned has forged ties with an adviser to the prime minister and is drawing up policy briefings for politicians.

The UK branch of the US-based Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has more than doubled its spending since 2020 and been appointed a stakeholder in a parliamentary group on religious freedoms in a role that grants it direct access to MPs.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/06/extreme-us-anti-abortion-group-ramps-up-lobbying-in-westminster

UK government honoured anti-abortion figure before editing women’s rights statement

Former US envoy given award at conference now engulfed in row over changes to reproductive rights pledges, while participant list revealed to have included members of group accused of hate speech

Lizzy Davies
Tue 9 Aug 2022

The British government presented a vehemently anti-abortion former US envoy with an award for his services to freedom of religion just days before watering down a statement on gender equality to remove commitments to reproductive rights.

Sam Brownback, a former governor of Kansas who targeted abortion rights while in office and then became Donald Trump’s ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, was given the award during the international ministerial conference for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) held in London last month.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/aug/09/uk-government-award-anti-abortion-figure-sam-brownback-edited-reproductive-rights-statement

UK in diplomatic standoff over deletion of abortion rights from gender statement

Exclusive: Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands refuse to sign edited version, drawing up new phrasing including women and girls’ sexual and reproductive rights

Lizzy Davies
Thu 28 Jul 2022

The UK government is in a diplomatic standoff with three European countries over a statement on gender equality that it changed to remove commitments to women’s reproductive and sexual health rights.

Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands are refusing to sign the edited version unless their concerns “are taken into consideration”, a spokesperson for the Dutch foreign ministry told the Guardian on Thursday.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jul/28/uk-in-diplomatic-standoff-over-deletion-of-abortion-rights-from-gender-statement

UK under international pressure over deletion of abortion commitments

Exclusive: open letter sent to Liz Truss after removal of commitment to repeal laws threatening women and girls’ rights from global pact

Lizzy Davies
Fri 22 Jul 2022

The UK government is coming under growing pressure from European countries and human rights groups to explain why commitments to abortion and sexual health rights have been removed from an official statement on gender equality.

Norway and Denmark have approached the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) “to protest against the substantive changes” that were made to a paper that resulted from a UK-hosted conference on freedom of religion and belief, opened by Liz Truss earlier this month, the Guardian has learned.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jul/22/european-countries-pressurise-uk-over-removal-of-abortion-commitments-liz-truss

The UK’s Conservative Political Figures Linked to the US Anti-Abortion Drive

Numerous Conservative MPs, donors, and allies have spoken at and collaborated with Washington D.C. think tanks and organisations working to overturn the state-wide right to safe, legal abortion in the US

Sian Norris and Heidi Siegmund Cuda
24 August 2021

Leading Conservative MPs and their donors have close ties to think tanks, networks and foundations determined to roll-back abortion rights in the US, Byline Times can reveal.

Liz Truss, Sajid Javid, Dr Liam Fox, Daniel Hannan, and Owen Paterson all have links to the radical-right Heritage Foundation think tank which lobbies against abortion rights.

Continued: https://bylinetimes.com/2021/08/24/the-uks-conservative-political-figures-linked-to-the-us-anti-abortion-drive/

Bill to ban protests outside abortion clinics backed by MPs at first Commons hurdle

Bill to ban protests outside abortion clinics backed by MPs at first Commons hurdle
But despite support the bill is unlikely to progress without support from the Government

By Oliver Milne, Political Correspondent
24 JUN 2020

A bill to ban protests outside of abortion facilities has passed its first hurdle in the House of Commons.

The measure, which aims to end the intimidation of women on their way into or out of clinics, was passed with cross-party support after being introduced by Labour MP Rupa Huq.

Continued: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/bill-ban-protests-outside-abortion-22245804

UK – MP seeks to ban demonstrations outside abortion clinics

MP seeks to ban demonstrations outside abortion clinics

Jun 24, 2020

A bill seeking to ban demonstrations outside abortion clinics has been proposed by Labour MP Rupa Huq.

Last year, pro-life protesters lost a legal challenge against the UK's first buffer zone implemented around a clinic in Dr Huq's constituency.

Ealing Council said a 100-metre exclusion zone at the Marie Stopes centre had been put in place after women complained of being intimidated.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-53150759

New Northern Ireland abortion rules voted in by MPs must be accepted at Assembly, says minister

New Northern Ireland abortion rules voted in by MPs must be accepted at Assembly, says minister

George Ryan
June 05 2020

Stormont must accept new regulations on abortion made in Westminster despite them being rejected by the Assembly, the Northern Ireland minister has announced.

MPs voted last July to decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland if the Stormont Assembly was not up and running by October.

Continued: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/new-northern-ireland-abortion-rules-voted-in-by-mps-must-be-accepted-at-assembly-says-minister-39260793.html

MPs bring bill to ban late abortions for cleft lip, cleft palate and clubfoot

MPs bring bill to ban late abortions for cleft lip, cleft palate and clubfoot
Cross-party group proposes ending UK abortions after 24 weeks for minor disabilities

Amelia Hill
Published on Thu 28 May 2020

A cross-party group of MPs are seeking to change Britain’s abortion laws to ban late terminations that are carried out on the grounds of minor physical abnormalities.

The abortion (cleft lip, cleft palate and clubfoot) bill, which is led by the Conservative MP Fiona Bruce and supported by 13 MPs, will be presented in parliament on 3 June.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/28/mps-bring-bill-to-ban-late-abortions-for-cleft-lip-cleft-palate-and-club-foot

28.05.2020

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MPs’ vote calls for explanation of Northern Ireland abortion law

MPs' vote calls for explanation of Northern Ireland abortion law
Westminster votes by 207 to 117 to force Karen Bradley to ‘issue guidance’ on continued enforcement of law

Dan Sabbagh
Wed 24 Oct 2018

A landmark amendment forcing Northern Ireland secretary, Karen Bradley, “to issue guidance” to explain how officials can continue to enforce the region’s draconian Victorian-era abortion law was passed by MPs.

MPs in Westminster voted by 207 to 117 to impose their will, a matter normally reserved for Stormont, arguing that the abortion ban was incompatible with human rights on an amendment proposed by Labour’s Stella Creasy and Conor McGinn.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/24/commons-withdraws-amendment-to-legalise-abortion-in-northern-ireland