Life

Pregnant Woman Tells Off Anti-Choice Protesters

by Kat George

This woman is seriously my new hero, and probably soon to be yours too. Outside an abortion clinic in London, this pregnant woman absolutely destroyed some anti-abortion protestors with an impassioned and eloquent rant on women's rights. It's the speech you've always wanted to make whenever you've seen someone being a jerk, but only ever dreamed up after the fact. And it spews out of her so effortlessly that it doesn't even need editing to make its point more forcefully. I am honestly floored by this good samaritan.

The incident starts with journalist Sunny Hundal who approached anti-abortion activists outside the Southwark Clinic (run by the British Pregnancy Advice Service and hosted by Blackfriars Medical Practice) and challenged one protester's use of a camera to film women going into the clinic. The pregnant lady hangs back at first, but soon kicks off in the best way possible at the 1:13 minute mark—and it's glorious. She accuses the protestors of uninformed judgement, telling them she works at Kids Company UK with vulnerable children (the group is rumored to have received many donations since this video went viral), and that the protestors don't know what drives women to abortion. She also chastises one of the protestors who had previously had an abortion, telling her that she's responsible for her own decisions and can't force other women to pay for them. It's seriously everything you've ever wanted to say to an anti-abortion group, and you can watch it in all its wonder here:

The protestors are from a group called Abort67, and the main aim of their activity is to "shame" women into not having abortions ("shame" being the word the group itself has chosen to describe its actions). Abort67 provided the following statement to Buzzfeed:

“We are outside abortion clinics, not to protest, but to expose abortion. Every time we hold up an abortion victim photograph, abortion protests itself. Our banners make it absolutely plain that abortion is an act of violence that kills a defenceless human person. Exposing the truth of what BPAS will do to these women’s children can’t be wrong. What is wrong is for BPAS to systematically deceive women. Our work informs and empowers women whereas the suggestion that women are unable to handle the facts infantilises them. Time and again we have met women who weren’t told the truth about abortion and now regret their decision. We are concerned about the plight of the women who will elect abortion if the abortion pictures are concealed but reject abortion if the abortion pictures are displayed. For these women, there can be no true informed consent without abortion pictures.”

“The YouTube video by Sunny Hundal which reveals the gentle nature by which we hold our displays serves to emphasise that abortion is indefensible. Pro-aborts like Sunny can’t defend killing small human beings so he tries (in vain) to shame our volunteers for trying to defend the unborn child. In the same way that William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson were subject to false allegations and attacks by Slave Trade supporters, abortion supporters mischaracterise us and our conduct. Suggesting that we are harassing and intimidating women when there is no actual harassment or intimidation occurring is misogynistic. It suggests that women are inherently too weak to be fully informed about abortion. If harassment were occurring, the police who keenly observe us at our invitation, would arrest us. Sunny seems to miss the irony of filming us outside the clinic whilst he vilifies us for filming ourselves outside a clinic.”

Journalist Sunny Hundal, who filmed the video, also reached out to Buzzfeed with his own statement:

“In the UK we assume abortion rights are safe. But the aim of groups like Abort67 and some MPs is to change the debate so they can chip away at these rights... I was just in awe of [the pregnant woman in the video], and was pleased others felt the same way... [Abort67] they shouldn’t be intimidating women as they are now. This is why we need exclusion zones, like BPAS are calling for.”

The pregnant lady is as yet unidentified. Hence why we keep calling her "the pregnant lady". I just want her to know though: Pregnant lady, you're all our hero today.

Image: YouTube