America’s abortion wars: inside the clinic on the front line

Since the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, abortion is illegal in 13 US states. New Mexico has become the nearest place for many women to terminate a pregnancy — if they can get past the religious activists on a mission to change their minds

George Grylls
Friday January 16 2026

Haley Nathan, 19, writes down the details of women’s cars on a clipboard outside an abortion clinic in New Mexico, braced for the day ahead. New Mexico is the closest option for any Texan woman to receive an abortion since the overturning of Roe v Wade in June 2022.

She’s frequently yelled at, or shown the middle finger. “I try not to let it bother me because it’s gonna affect my performance on the sidewalk,” says Nathan, a young intern, fixated on the clinic’s door as she prepares herself for the hostility coming her way. “I like to say it’s not me who’s doing the work. It’s God in me. I step out, God steps in.”

Continued: https://archive.is/6FX9Y
(https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/abortion-roe-v-wade-h2j7j9lm9)

Is British politics immune to US-style rightwing Christianity? We’re about to find out

Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson are increasingly espousing Christian ‘values’, and a wealthy US legal group is becoming influential – this could have dire consequences

Lamorna Ash
Tue 25 Nov 2025

Earlier this year, not long after Tommy Robinson embraced evangelical Christianity while in prison, the then Conservative MP Danny Kruger spoke in parliament about the need for a restoration of Britain through the “recovery of a Christian politics”. Less than two months later, Kruger joined Reform, and shortly after that, James Orr, a vociferously conservative theologian who has been described as JD Vance’s “English philosopher king”, was appointed as one of Reform’s senior advisers. The party’s leader, Nigel Farage, now frequently invokes the need for a return to “Judeo-Christian” values.

The British right is increasingly invoking the Christian tradition: the question is what it hopes to gain from doing so.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2025/nov/25/british-politics-us-rightwing-christianity-nigel-farage-tommy-robinson-adf

The worrying rise of US anti-abortion rhetoric is in full force – how deep is Reform UK’s involvement?

Money is pouring into anti-abortion campaigns in Britain, and it seems Nigel Farage’s party isn’t pushing back…

By Jennifer Savin
20 November 2025

There’s been a lot of talk recently suggesting that we need to keep a close eye on abortion rights here in the UK. With whisperings that what happened in America – the toppling of Roe v Wade, which left a 10-year-old denied an abortion – could happen here, especially if Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party makes it into power at the next election.

While nothing is guaranteed, it’s a scary thought – particularly as we made great strides with abortion care this year.

Continued: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a69468983/reform-uk-nigel-farage-abortion/

UK – Nigel Farage appoints right-wing anti-abortion theologian as Reform senior adviser

Professor James Orr is understood to be close to JD Vance and influential in Donald Trump’s administration with his right-wing views on abortion and immigration

David Maddox
Sunday 19 October

Reform has been accused of “importing divisive and dangerous ideas” from Maga politics in the US after a right-wing theologian who opposes abortion in all cases joined the party as Nigel Farage’s adviser.

Cambridge University professor James Orr, who heads the Centre for a Better Britain think tank, is an influential figure in Donald Trump’s administration and is admired by vice-president JD Vance.

Continued: https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/politics/farage-james-orr-rightwing-theologian-reform-b2848126.html

19.10.2025

News

Centre for a Better Britain

SCOTLAND – Gillian Mackay slams JD Vance attacks on buffer zones bill

18th October
By Fiona Brown

GILLIAN Mackay has slammed US vice president JD Vance’s attacks on the abortion buffer zones bill.

… During her speech at the Scottish Greens conference on Saturday, party co-leader Mackay called out “anti-choice protesters” misrepresenting the bill, including Vance.

“You can imagine my reaction when I found out that it was also the Vice President of the United States,” Mackay said.

Continued: https://www.thenational.scot/news/25553346.gillian-mackay-slams-jd-vance-attacks-buffer-zones-bill/

18.10.2025

News

abortion buffer zones

UK – US Christian conservative groups escalate support for UK anti-abortion protesters

Phoebe Davis

Saturday 16 August 2025

Network of well-funded bodies backs cases in UK after JD Vance’s challenge on buffer zones outside abortion clinics

The Trump administration has warned the UK that “buffer zones” that criminalise protest outside abortion clinics represent an “egregious violation” of free speech and threaten the “shared values that underpin US-UK relations”.

The US escalation in intervening in the prosecution of British anti-abortion protesters comes after the White House took the highly unusual step of criticising the UK for a “worsening” human rights situation, citing “safe access zones” around clinics as an area of concern.

Continued: https://observer.co.uk/news/international/article/us-christian-conservative-groups-escalate-support-for-uk-anti-abortion-protesters

UK – MP campaigns for more safety precautions at abortion clinic

29th June, 2025
By Jess Skelton

A BOURNEMOUTH MP is campaigning to improve the safety of staff at an abortion clinic. In parliament earlier this month, Bournemouth East MP Tom Hayes spoke about the fears staff have at BPAS Bournemouth.

In parliament, he said: "I have spoken with the people who work at that clinic since that speech was given, and they are scared. "They want to support women’s reproductive rights and women’s health and safety, but staff members’ vehicles are being tampered with, and women seeking the clinic’s support are finding their access impeded."

Continued: https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/25269158.mp-campaigns-safety-precautions-abortion-clinic/

29.06.2025

News

anti-choice misogyny

anti-choice protesters

MPs vote to decriminalize abortion, the English way. What will the US say?

UK MPs voted Tuesday to decriminalize abortion for women in England and Wales, but they’re wary of the U.S.’s divisive debate.

June 17, 2025
By Dan Bloom

LONDON — U.K. MPs just liberalized a 164-year-old abortion law with typical British understatement. Now, to hope that Donald Trump’s America doesn’t notice.

The House of Commons voted 379-137 Tuesday night to remove criminal sanctions for women having their own abortion in England and Wales, partially unpicking a law passed in 1861.

Continued: https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-abortion-decriminalization-united-states-donald-trump/

Abortion clinic staff feel ‘abandoned’, says charity

14 June 2025

Staff at an abortion clinic feel "abandoned" by police because no-one has been prosecuted following more than 40 reports of alleged criminal damage to their vehicles, a charity has said.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) runs the clinic in Ophir Road, Bournemouth, which anti-abortion protesters had stationed themselves outside of before a council order was implemented in 2022.

The clinic was brought to international attention when US Vice President JD Vance raised concerns over the prosecution of a man who breached a protection zone around it.

Contiuned: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7872evvyeyo.amp

US anti‑abortion cash floods UK free speech frontlines

Democracy for Sale investigation finds US anti‑abortion lawyer funding Toby Young’s Free Speech Union, while Alliance Defending Freedom’s UK spending soars.

May 31, 2025
By Peter Geoghegan and Max Colbert

Nigel Farage has often described himself as ‘pro-choice’ - but this week the Reform leader declared that plans to decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks are “utterly ludicrous”.

Farage’s comments were striking. Not least as the abortion proposals have been backed by a cross-party group of MPs. But the Reform leader is not the only figure on the political right who seems to have a growing interest in Britain’s abortion laws.

Continued: https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/us-antiabortion-cash-floods-uk-free-speech-union-adf