The Handmaid's Tale may be a work of fiction, but with increasing attacks on women’s reproductive rights, the message it sends about fighting for these rights – before it’s too late – is timely.
It seems incredible, but police have been issued guidance on how to check a woman’s phone after an unexpected pregnancy loss to establish her ‘knowledge and intention in relation to the pregnancy’. This includes checking for menstrual cycle tracking apps, internet search history and messages.
They’ve also been advised on how to search her home for ‘drugs that can terminate pregnancy’, in cases involving stillbirths.
There’s been an explosion in investigation and prosecutions of women and girls for having abortions in England in recent years. That’s because abortion isn’t actually legal in England and Wales – you are only exempt from prosecution if you have an abortion under certain conditions.
In the US, where abortion rights have rolled back since the overturning of Roe v Wade, VP JD Vance has criticised buffer zones outside abortion clinics, designed to allow women to attend them without harassment. Here in the UK, Nigel Farage has begun talking about these issues, likely sensing a chance to repeat the success of US politicians in using abortion to gain votes.
Whether he’s arguing there should be more ‘debate’ around reducing the time limit for terminations or supporting those who say it’s free speech to protest outside clinics, his interest in these tactics should worry anyone who recognises that bodily autonomy is the foundation of equality.
American groups have been running training events for anti-abortion activists in the UK, and money and activists from these networks are flooding into the country. Anyone who thinks we can be complacent about abortion freedom in this country isn’t paying attention to the threats we now face. That’s why it’s time to put the right to choose into law. To do this, we need to look to Northern Ireland, where abortion is a human right. In the coming weeks we will be arguing to introduce the same laws in England and Wales, which would mean every woman would have a right to abortion regardless of who is in power.
Crucially, we are also seeking protections to prevent ministers overturning this law without democratic consent. If any future Prime Minister wanted to remove a woman’s right to abortion, under our proposals they would have to get the agreement of every MP, meaning every one of us could ask our local representative to intervene.
Every MP can choose to support this plan if they co-sign the Creasy amendment to the forthcoming Policing Bill. Ask your MP to do this, to ensure abortion access is healthcare, not a criminal matter. It’s time to create a human rights framework to guarantee no woman has to live ‘under his eye’, or in fear of what harm the ballot box might bring when it comes to her basic human rights.
Here you can find a template letter to send to your MP on the Creasy amendment.