“I did not receive permission from the municipality to carry out my message in front of the clinic in Utrecht, while I do get that in Rotterdam and Zwolle,” says evangelist Joop van Ooijen, founder of the political party Jesus Lives!. In his own words, he wants to ‘follow the rules of Jesus’.
And that means: no abortion. According to Van Ooijen, the unborn fetus has the right to life. “Now it is completely surrendered to the choice of the mother. The child has no voice, I think that is terrible.”
Regularly for the clinic
To convey his message, Van Ooijen stands with his yellow bus once a month in front of the abortion clinic in Zwolle and every week one or two half-days in front of the clinic in Rotterdam. He is also allowed to demonstrate in Utrecht, but there is a ‘buffer zone’ of 100 meters: demonstrators are not welcome in front of the clinic.
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Van Ooijen disagrees; he went to the administrative court. “I’m there to save people’s lives, then I have to be where it happens and not 100 meters away.” He says he doesn’t harass women, just chat. “I’m not aggressive, I don’t intimidate. If a woman doesn’t like me, I respect that.”
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Every municipality different rules
There are fifteen abortion clinics in the Netherlands. A buffer zone applies at the abortion clinics in Utrecht and Arnhem. At the clinic in The Hague, demonstrators are allowed to stand across the street and there are no appointments in Almere, Zwolle and Groningen. Protesters are allowed to stand next door.
“It is different at every clinic because every municipality decides where to demonstrate and where not,” says Eline Dalmijn of the Fiom Foundation, which strives for freedom of choice in the event of an unwanted pregnancy.
Dalmijn sees that the pro life movement, an international movement that opposes abortion, is increasing. “Discussion has always been there. The noise against abortion comes in waves. During the Trump era, you noticed that the conservative noise from the United States – and the money involved in lobbying projects – increased worldwide.”
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However, things are not always friendly. For example, it is known that women who go to an abortion clinic are sometimes shown banners with texts such as: ‘You are a murderer’. Or they get plastic fetuses pressed into their hands, or biblical leaflets. To assist these women, the Samen naar de Kliniek foundation set up a so-called buddy system. Those who need it can go to the clinic together with a buddy.
The abortion buddies now mainly work in Rotterdam and The Hague. Twelve buddies are currently being trained in Utrecht.
Walk-in clinic in
Famke Rauch (29) has been an abortion buddy in Rotterdam for more than two years. “I lived under the assumption that everyone in the Netherlands could make their own choice undisturbed whether or not to have an abortion. When I heard about the intimidation at the clinics, I immediately registered.” She picks up clients at the metro station or bus stop to go to the clinic together. And sometimes she goes for a cup of coffee with them.
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The buddies are trained by professionals. They don’t ask questions, the clients don’t have to give a reason why they choose abortion. “We are just there for them, because for whatever reason there is no one else for them. My experience is that everyone wants to talk about their situation.”
The abortion buddy project has started to form a human shield against the protesters. “We’ve had training on how to de-escalate the situation. Regardless of whether there are protesters or not, the idea that there might be someone out there willing to talk to you can make you nervous. You just don’t want to deal with that. being busy on a day that is already so incredibly exciting.”
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‘We will continue to ban protesters’
The number of protesters has increased in recent years, the Vrelinghuis, the abortion clinic in Utrecht, told RTL Nieuws.
“It’s a battle between the right to freedom of expression versus invading the privacy of our clients. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. But we don’t support a woman who is already in a vulnerable position being harassed there.” That’s why we will continue to keep protesters away from the entrance.”
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