Heather Bellamy spoke with Abort 67 about the reality of abortion, the need for a public debate, the contentious issue of buffer zones and how they treat women outside abortion clinics. (Warning: there is a photo of an aborted baby on page two. The photo was taken lawfully at an abortion clinic.)

Ruth Rawlins

Earlier this year a number of MPs raised concerns about claims of intimidation and harassment outside abortion clinics by protest groups and looked to introduce buffer zones. Some new research into the experience women have when encountering protesters while going to the clinics has now also been released, and expresses difficulties they have encountered with those protesters. Heather Bellamy spoke with Abort 67's London Coordinator, Ruth Rawlins, about their view of abortion, buffer zones and how they treat the women outside clinics.

Heather: In the UK abortion is generally seen as a woman's sexual health right and simply a medical procedure. How do you see abortion?

Ruth: Abortion takes an innocent human being's life. We know that every life begins from the point of conception and we know that's scientifically true; therefore every abortion takes the life of an innocent human being.

Heather: How many abortions take place in the UK each year?

Ruth: Each year there's around 200,000 abortions.

Heather: I went on your website and I tried to watch a video on there, which shows aborted babies and I couldn't cope with viewing it to the end. It is horrific what happens. Why is it so important to you to show images like that?

Ruth: It's so important because abortion is being used by euphemisms such as Women's Rights and Health Care, and these don't describe what abortion really is. We need to show the reality of abortion so people can see what abortion is actually doing; that it kills an innocent human being. Yes, the reality is horrific.

It's nothing new, when you look at past social injustices, to have social reform, you first have to expose the injustices taking place. As long as it's hidden, people will be okay to go on about their lives, but only once it's exposed will people be outraged and want to call for change.

Heather: So is a public space outside an abortion clinic the best place for those images? What about children, or members of the public walking by? Is it right that they see them without being given a choice like me, to switch the video off, because it's just too difficult to see?

Ruth: First of all, we don't target children. We don't target primary schools, or anything like that, but we do need members of the general public to see the reality of abortion. As a matter of curtesy, we do put up warning signs on the approaches to our displays so people can avert their eyes, or cross the road if they don't want to see it. We need to remember though that this is the reality that is going on in our nation and people need to see the reality that's going on.

Heather: So other than showing images, what do you do outside abortion clinics?

Ruth: We give out leaflets of information to show the development of the pre-born child. We also chat to members of the public who are passing by, to see what they think about abortions. Then the women that are going in to have an abortion, we want them to see the full facts, because the clinics aren't showing the full truth of abortion and women don't know the reality of what's gonna happen to their child and even the development of where their child is at. They talk about choice, but it's not informed choice, so we believe that these women at the very least should have an informed choice.

Heather: In this research that's just been done, some of the women's feedback about how they've been treated by protesters was quite concerning, for example, being prevented from getting to their car and experiencing aggression. So has Abort 67 ever treated the women with aggression or done things like prevent women getting into a car?

Ruth: No, not at all. And these people who provided this research are affiliated with BPAS, the abortion providers themselves, so once again, it's biased research. We ask them for the proof of where this is happening. We know ourselves and the other major groups that are outside the clinics like 40 Days For Life that we are all there to help the women and to help the child. We know that none of these main major groups do this type of behaviour. So we would ask these people that are making these accusations, where's the proof? If this was happening, they have their own security cameras outside the clinics, so why haven't they provided the proof. It would be amazing TV; it would be amazing for the BBC, but they haven't provided any footage or proof of this going on. Why? Because it's not going on.

Heather: Obviously that can be the position of an organisation, but different staff and volunteers can approach things differently. Is there enough vetting and training of the people who would be outside clinics to ensure things like that don't happen?