London Indymedia

Pro Life loonies defeated both inside and outside of Parliament.

Guido | 23.05.2008 14:05 | Gender | Social Struggles | London

On Tuesday an attempt to highjack the embryology bill going through Parliament was soundly defeated. Britain’s small but determined Pro Life movement had attached a number of amendments to the bill which included reducing the maximum time allowed for an abortion by half and also denying lesbian couples the right to IVF treatment. In the end every amendment was defeated and the pro lifers also had to suffer the humiliation of having their demo placed next to the pro choice contingent who outnumbered them by about 10-1.

Up to 1,000 on the Pro Choice demo.
Up to 1,000 on the Pro Choice demo.

Mostly young women...
Mostly young women...

...who don't want to see the clock turned back.
...who don't want to see the clock turned back.

Meanwhile further down the pavement God's chosen children...
Meanwhile further down the pavement God's chosen children...

...are being addressed by reactionary Tory MP Daniel Kawcynzski.
...are being addressed by reactionary Tory MP Daniel Kawcynzski.

Pleasant looking bunch aren't they?
Pleasant looking bunch aren't they?

Though it seems that their prayers were unanswered...
Though it seems that their prayers were unanswered...

...perhaps they didn't sing loud enough? Maybe God is a woman after all?
...perhaps they didn't sing loud enough? Maybe God is a woman after all?

So they go home to sulk.
So they go home to sulk.


The Pro Choice demonstration- called by the Abortion Rights Campaign:

 http://www.abortionrights.org.uk/

-numbered up to 1,000 and was mostly young women aged between 16 and 40. In other words exactly the people most likely to be affected by any change in the law that could see a return to coat hanger abortions. The demonstration was loud and proud becoming visibly more upbeat and celebratory as the amendments were defeated one after the other.

Meanwhile further down the pavement the grotesque circus sideshow that is Britain’s Christian right had their own less than vibrant intervention. These people are not what you would describe as a good advert for the love of God. Firstly they are even more full of hate and bitterness than they are full of shit (and that’s saying something). Most of them look so pale and miserable that you could be forgiven for thinking that they had just been released from Mr Fritzel’s cellar. They were nearly all middle aged and half of them were men. Not exactly people whom a change in the law would affect. There were no more 100 of them.

At one point barking mad Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski addressed the merry throng to announce that he had voted for the legal limit to be cut in half to 12 weeks. He then went on to say that it was a disgrace that the Police had ordered the Pro-Life demonstration to remain silent so as not to provoke the larger Pro Choice demo. This of course was completely untrue and the assembled journalists present who really had nothing better to do set upon Mr Kawczynski for an explanation. He looked decidedly uncomfortable with the questioning and also a little shocked that a mere journalist would dare to question someone as important as the MP for Shrewsbury. In the end he made his excuses and left. It was unclear whether he was told this by the organisers of the pro life rally or he just made it up on the spot to try and impress them.

Another surreal intervention was made by a Catholic nun who proclaimed that the Police and the media were in a conspiracy against Christians and they were also vehemently pro Muslim??!!+!

Myself I had never realised how pro Muslim the Police and media were. I must have been hallucinating when I saw all those Muslim youths and motorists being stopped and searched by the Police for no apparent reason. I have also clearly missed all those positive stories about Muslims adorning the front pages of the Sun, Express, Daily Mail ect. I wish I had the same powers of observation as demonstrated by the average convent inmate…

Another thing I find slightly odd is that the last time this lot were here there was over 1,000 of them demonstrating against the Human Rights Act being extended to gay people. See:

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/01/359629.html

So if there was ten times more of them here on that occasion; does that mean that discriminating against gay people is ten times more important for the average Christian fundamentalist than protecting unborn babies? Interesting priorities these people have?

Though every bit of reactionary lunacy was defeated in Parliament this could well be back on the agenda before long. A landslide victory by the Tories at the next general election (which is looking pretty likely after last night) could well swing things in the favour of the Pro Life lobby. It should also be remembered that it is not just the Tories who support this shite. Front bench Labour MPs like Opus Dei headcase Ruth Kelly also voted for a 12 week limit. So this is far from over.

Guido
- e-mail: guidoreports@riseup.net

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

what no boys

23.05.2008 20:51

where were all the male activists then? i mean the ones on our side, the pro-choice side. aren't the men who sleep with us affected at all by the laws on abortion? couldn't y'all just come along and support the women anyway? you're quick enough to come out in support of palestinians, iraqis, and all sorts of other groups of people you aren't part of, why not when its perceived as a women's issue? shame on the boys!

justme


Now read it again!

24.05.2008 12:40

The author said "mostly young women" not "entirely".

Since when did women standing up for their rights need men to hold their hands? Talk about sexist.

At demo


Re: no boys

28.05.2008 15:10

"you're quick enough to come out in support of palestinians, iraqis, and all sorts of other groups of people you aren't part of, why not when its perceived as a women's issue? shame on the boys! "


Women are scarier! That and all the signs were pink.


Seriously though, I think you'll find a lot of men support you in principle, but they'll never be as outwardly passionate as a woman will be as it will never affect men as deeply. It's not our bodies that are at risk, we don't have to put up with the stigma and we NEVER have to walk into the clinic alone. No man whose "involved" in an abortion is going to go through as tough a time as some women will.

Besides, I don't like the idea of two groups of blokes shouting at each in the street about what women should be allowed to do with their bodies. They're just asking for a bunch of feminists to tear them all new arseholes.


MonkeyBot 5000


Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

London Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

London IMC

Desktop

About | Contact
Mission Statement
Editorial Guidelines
Publish | Help

Search :