Abort67 is a pro-life protest group in the UK known for using tactics such as holding educational displays outside of abortion clinics, speaking to people going in or out of the clinics, and displaying graphic images of aborted fetuses.
Contents
The group has explained that their use of graphic images is informed by the history of Social Reform.
Effectiveness
Abort67 claims that seeing the reality of abortion changes the way people feel about abortion. They have seen women who were on their way to have an abortion change their minds and continue with the pregnancy.
Funding
Despite some sources saying Abort67 receives financial support from US anti-abortion groups. the group receives all of its finance from individual UK-based donors.
Opposition
Members of Abort67 oppose abortion in all circumstances. Some prominent UK politicians, such as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith and MP Nadine Dorries, have called for the 24-week abortion time-limit to be reduced.
Arrests
Two members of the group (Andrew Stephenson and Kathryn Attwood (nee Sloane)) were arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act in 2010 and 2011 on charges of causing “harassment, alarm or distress” and obstructing a police officer, after refusing to take down a large banner.
District Judge, Stephen Nicholls, agreed with the defendants that there had been no offence as the Public Order Act is a two part test. Despite members of the public complaining that they were upset with the abortion photographs, the banners that had been on display had failed to meet the first part of the test of being "abusive, threatening or insulting"
The pair were later acquitted, and supporters of the group claimed that their arrest had been a violation of their right to free speech.
Andrew Stephenson and Kathryn Attwood (nee Sloane) later successfully brought a civil case against Sussex Police for wrongful arrest, trespass to the claimants property and interfering with article 10 and 11 of the Human Rights Act 1988. As a result, the police paid out compensation, destroyed photographs, DNA and fingerprints that were taken at Hollingbury police station and agreed to pay legal costs.
Non-violence policy
Abort67 rejects abortion related violence in all forms.