In Clapham, a residential area in south London, a British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinic welcomes women who wish to have an abortion. Although there have never been any “anti-abortion” gatherings in front of this establishment, Carla, an employee, believes that the law on buffer zones, which came into force this Wednesday, October 31 in England and Wales, East “a good thing, because in other BPAS centers, colleagues have suffered harassment or verbal attacks on their way to work. Women who come to have an abortion are not the only ones to be targeted. »
Access to contraception still limited
Voted in 2023, this law was delayed by the previous conservative government due to debates around religious freedom. A petition calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to protect the right of British citizens to pray silently has garnered almost 60,000 signatures, following recent arrests of pro-life advocates outside abortion clinics.
Last February, a 72-year-old Christian preacher was fined £2,426 (€2,880) for holding up a sign with a Bible verse in a trial buffer zone. For the Conference of Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, this measure is “unnecessary, disproportionate and a threat to freedom of expression and religion for all. »
Pro-choice activists do not agree. The creation of buffer zones is, according to them, progress towards the recognition of women’s rights, and remains insufficient. According to the BPAS, women still encounter difficulties, including in accessing contraception.
“The budget allocated to it decreased by 42% between 2015 and 2021, and like the entire health system in this country, clinics are at their wits’ end: centers are closing due to lack of resources, waiting lists for an IUD are endless and women often have no other choice than the pill. This is how many find themselves faced with the fait accompli of an unplanned pregnancy. »
Voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) is not a right “uniform throughout the UK”explains Vanessa Barbé, of the Public Ethics Observatory. In the UK, abortion is not fully decriminalized. A law dating from the Victorian era, partially relaxed in 1967, requires the authorization of two doctors to determine whether the mother’s life is in danger.
IVG is therefore authorized under medical advice, and carried out up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. If it is tolerated in practice, it remains punishable by criminal sanctions. Between 2012 and 2022, 67 people were prosecuted for illegal abortion. This legislative context helps explain why so many young girls are sometimes unaware that they have the right to have an abortion.
The phenomenon of “teen mums” in England
Nancy, now 45, was pregnant at 15. She had to face it alone, as her father was absent. “In my time, we didn’t have abortions. All I knew was that I would have help, and even housing. » The British government provides aid for minors with children (teen mums), such as universal income, food vouchers or study grants.
For decades, the number of teenage mums in England was one of the highest in the world, particularly in the northern parts of the country. In addition, the morning-after pill has only been available without a prescription since 2015 and remains expensive – around €40, compared to €7 in France.
In 2021, 15-year-old Katie (first name changed) received abortion pills prescribed over the phone in the mail. However, she was unaware that she had exceeded the legal limit of 10 weeks. When she arrived at the hospital after giving birth to her stillborn baby alone, the police were waiting for her. She is now being prosecuted for illegal abortion. She is still awaiting her trial date, with legal fees already exceeding €60,000. While the United Kingdom seeks to reconcile these sometimes opposing rights, the question of the future of abortion and access to care is still raised.
