Voice for Choice

Voice for Choice

We are a member of the Voice for Choice coalition. We don’t advocate abortion, but we are pro-choice. Abortion is never desirable, and is a difficult and complex choice for those affected, but abortions have always happened, and will always happen, because everyone needs and deserves control over their own body. Criminalising abortion doesn’t stop it, though better sex education in schools and easier access to contraception could reduce it. Abortion must be available, safe and free of stigma when it’s the best alternative for the woman concerned, in line with her own conscience and beliefs, not those of the state. No woman should be forced to continue a pregnancy, whether as a result of a mistake, rape, or failure in contraception, which could risk her physical or mental health, or family stability. On balance, we view the rights and needs of the woman, with her own personal circumstances and autonomy, as outweighing the potential of the foetus she is carrying which, before it is viable, cannot realistically be seen as a separate person with separate rights.