Nearly 2500 signatures! Please sign before we present this to the council on Thursday!

Today, and every day until 1st November, clinics in York are being targeted by anti-abortion protesters, as part of a Texas-founded campaign called 40 Days For Life. Anti-abortion protesters are assembling outside clinics on a daily basis, intimidating women as they attempt to access healthcare services.

In a pro-choice country like the UK where 70% of the population believe in a woman’s right to end her pregnancy if she does not want a child, I would like to tell you that this is unusual. But unfortunately, more than 100,000 women who had abortions in 2019 had to attend a clinic targeted by anti-abortion protesters. 42 hospitals, GP surgeries, and clinics in England and Wales have experienced anti-abortion protest activity in the last two years. 11 of these protests are completely new – showing a new and worrying growth in these groups.

There is a private members' bill which would ban protesters from assembling outside clinics currently moving through parliament. It has significant support, but the process is a long one and many women will suffer in the meantime.

Ealing Council have taken matters into their own hands by using a Public Spaces Protection Order to enforce 100m safe zones around abortion centres, so that women can access legal healthcare safely. We ask that York City Council follow their example and protect our communities from fear and intimidation.