Today, I met with protesters from Glasgow Students for Choice on Southpark Avenue. I gave my support to their protest outside the “Rethink Abortion Day” organised by March for Life UK, held at Turnbull Hall on the University of Glasgow campus on 13th May. I agree with the students that approval of such an event by the University is extremely concerning. There were various banners displayed at the protest.
March for Life UK are known to have links to extreme organisations, and the event is being promoted by a Bishop who seems to support anti-abortion activists to protest and form picket lines in front of Queen Elizabeth University Hospital - protests that healthcare providers, hospital staff, and patients have reportedly found intimidating, unsettling, and harassing.
The leader of the organisation, was arrested for breaching buffer zones in England on purpose just last year. She is also involved with 40 Days For Life, which is the group behind the anti-abortion protests outside the QEUH in Glasgow.
Promoting anti-abortion stances is a violation of reproductive rights and bodily autonomy: human rights. The decision to carry a pregnancy to term is deeply personal and complex; it should be left to the individual to make, based on their own beliefs and circumstances.
There are serious concerns about the aims of the event, as well as its content and results. The language used by the organisers is very polarising and, while they talk about having meaningful discussions on abortion, in reality this has been translated into harassment and shaming.
It is considered that the University of Glasgow's campus cannot be a safe space free from misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and harassment in general if we allow such events to take place.
Allowing events organised by groups that advocate for bans on safe abortions, create stressful and uncomfortable environments for people that work or need to access healthcare at QEUH or Sandyford, and that ignore socio-economic issues, the right to choose, and the rights of people with an uterus to access reproductive healthcare and make informed decisions about their own body and future. Glasgow University students find this unacceptable and they demand that the University does better.
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