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: Oh yes. I can only speak from our organisation Abort 67, but of course, we have a volunteer agreement and we require references from our volunteers and we say that we absolutely, under no circumstances, have any violence, or rudeness. We speak to everyone with respect and we're just there to offer information and help.

Heather: Do you have procedures in place to deal with any complaints or concerns that women might have with protesters?

Ruth: Yes, they can contact our Head Office, but we've never had any complaints from people.

Heather: In terms of this research, do you welcome the voice of women into the debate? I know reading an article, that MPs have got a voice and you're obviously bringing out the voice for the unborn child, so the women who are going through this, do you welcome that voice as well?

Ruth: Of course. As you've said, we've got MPs speaking for these women, but a lot of these women who've had abortions work with us, because they wish they had known the reality before they went through their horrific ordeal. It's afterwards when they find out. When women are in that desperate situation and they're presented with what seems an easy way out and they're not given the full facts; they're not shown that their baby has a heartbeat; they're not shown the horrific nature that the abortion is gonna kill a human being inside of them; these women often say to us, "I wish we'd seen the truth. I wish you were outside when I went for my abortion and my child might be here today".

The media wants to paint it as if we're against the women, but we're here to support women, because women need to see the truth and know the truth. Most women when they understand and have the full facts, they seem to see the reality that this is killing an innocent human being and they look into other options. The abortion clinics are making money from abortions, so they benefit from women having abortions.

Heather: Do you think there should be buffer zones around abortion clinics?

Ruth: No, not at all, because that's totally against freedom of speech. The whole point of freedom of speech is that you should be able to say what you want, where you want. Obviously there are some limits, but those limits such as, if there is harassment taking place, or violence; if there's incitement to violence, then those types of things are covered by the law anyway and the police would arrest any individuals that are doing this type of thing. So no, peaceful education, peaceful protest, not at all, there shouldn't be boundaries, especially because these are organisations that are trying to protect their self-interest.

Heather: On the website for Abort 67, you call yourself a Public Education Project, seeking to change how we view abortions. Do you think that the work you are doing is helping to develop the public debate about abortion?

Ruth: Yes definitely. There have been a number of media reports about abortion and the media likes controversy, so they are reporting on what we're doing because many people do find what we're doing controversial. But the simple fact of abortion itself is controversial. Just as long as it's hidden it will remain clinical and clean and health care, but when the reality is shown and we see that it's a genocide that's killing 45 million human beings every single year in the world, then we see that it's something that needs to be exposed.

Heather: And do you think that your voice in that debate is being heard and respected by MPs and abortion clinics in terms of there being true debate about it?

Ruth: Well, no, not at the moment. At the moment they're just trying to shut us down, because there are people seeing the reality of abortion and they don't want anyone to see that because it changes women's minds and makes it hard for those who are defending abortion, or promoting abortion, to defend that position when standing in front of a decapitated and dismembered child with arms and legs.

Heather: So finally, has your work changed peoples' view on abortion?

Ruth: Definitely. We just got an email yesterday from a man who was pro-choice when we met him on the street. In his words he said, "I'm converted, thank you. I've been thinking about it ever since." He said that he went on the website to look at the video and he said it was hard to watch, just as you said, because he watched it through tears. But this graphic nature needs to happen because people are just not aware and just don't care. So, we really are changing minds. I believe every time we go outside and hold up an image of an aborted foetus that abortion protests itself and minds have changed and lives are saved.