On Saturday 6th September ‘March 4 Life UK’ took to London’s streets spewing anti-abortion hatred. In attendance were several religious leaders, Carla Lockhart, a DUP MP who is the chair of the Pro-Life All Party Parliamentary Group, and  Andrea Williams, co-founder of Christian Concern, a UK group which campaigns in favor of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy. 

An investigation by the  Good Law Project revealed that over half of the speakers in London’s March for Life had direct links to ADF, an Arizona-based Christian legal organisation that the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated as an “anti-LGBTQ+ hate group”.

But where’s the surprise? 

The ADF was a driving force behind the 2022 Supreme Court decision that stripped away federal abortion rights and actively pushed state bans on gender-affirming care for young people.

Eight of the thirteen people listed as giving speeches or hosting panels have links to ADF, and only two are women. 

The Good Law Project also revealed that Patrick McKinney and Ralph Heskett, who gave speeches, were both accused of mishandling sexual abuse cases, as well as Aaron Edwards – a pastor dismissed from an academic role following a tweet claiming “Homosexuality is invading the church.”

The March4Life website contains a series of ‘memes’ including images saying ‘life begins at conception’ and their facebook page has over 10,000 followers. 

However, just from viewing footage of the crowds, the vast majority of attendants looked like middle aged/elderly white men. Which certainly is telling. 

We have seen what damage anti-abortion laws have done in the US. These laws put the lives of every woman in danger, and with Reform’s Nigel Farage saying it’s time to bring the abortion debate back into parliament, it has never been a more crucial time to stand up in support of women’s bodily autonomy.

Abortion is crucial healthcare needed to protect the lives of women, protecting us from severe pregnancy complications – including death. 

But it’s not just about healthcare. 

Every woman deserves the right to choose, and access to abortion care allows individuals to make autonomous decisions about their health and future.  

We must protect the right to safe abortions for all women – regardless of circumstance.