Chapter 1: Introduction

This book stems from a five-year ethnographic study on abortion debates in public spaces within the United Kingdom (UK), drawing on extensive documentary analysis, interviews with anti-abortion activists, observations at clinic vigils and public demonstrations, to present a comprehensive understanding of anti-abortion activism and its implications for abortion service provision and service users (a methodological account can be located in Appendix 1).¹ It focuses predominantly on individual activists, although we also consider the organisations that some of them are affiliated with. Opposition to abortion has declined significantly since the 1970s, and is largely unsupported nationally, yet in the last decade, there has been evidence of increased activism outside abortion clinics, with more faith-based groups beginning to organise ‘vigils’ which seek to deter women from entering abortion clinics. In response, new pro-choice activities and groups have emerged to campaign for bufferzones – a designated space outside clinics where no one can protest or approach those seeking services. At the time of writing, three legally enforced bufferzones have been established in England. In Wales, one has been informally agreed between anti-abortion groups and the police. There is growing political support for national bufferzone legislation. The opening quotation is taken from a public consultation on the first legally enforced bufferzone in Ealing, London. This quote highlights the role religion plays in public debates over abortion. As we will show, anti-abortion activists are motivated primarily by their highly conservative faith position – a stance largely unsupported by the majority of the public, whether or not they are religious. The book thus sets out the motivations, beliefs and practices of the anti-abortion activists in the specific context of a country which overwhelmingly supports abortion and is largely uncomfortable with ostentatious public displays of religion.