Latest news with #RachaelClarke
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Abortion clinic staff feel 'abandoned', says charity
Staff at an abortion clinic feel "abandoned" by police because no-one has been prosecuted following more than 40 reports of alleged criminal damage to their vehicles, a charity has said. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) runs the clinic in Ophir Road, Bournemouth, which anti-abortion protesters had stationed themselves outside of before a council order was implemented in 2022. The clinic was brought to international attention when US Vice President JD Vance raised concerns over the prosecution of a man who breached a protection zone around it. A Dorset Police spokesperson said the force has met with BPAS staff regularly and that it was "actively pursuing" lines of enquiry. Rachael Clarke, BPAS's head of advocacy, said the lack of police action against people who allegedly left nails and screws on roads to be driven over was "incredibly upsetting". "We have been reporting this to the police. We work with the council. There's now CCTV up outside the clinic but still nobody has been identified, nobody has been caught," she said. "It often feels to our staff, who often are nurses and midwifes, who are going into help women access essential legal medical care, that they have been abandoned by local police and that's incredibly upsetting," Ms Clarke added. Before the council order was introduced, she said one protester would leave baby clothes in a bush close to the clinic "to try to make women feel guilty". Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council introduced the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for an area around the clinic in October 2022 in an effort to stop anti-social behaviour. In April, Livia Tossici-Bolt, from Bournemouth, was ordered to pay £20,000 for breaching the PSPO twice in March 2023. Vance voiced concern about the prosecution of Adam Smith-Connor, who was told to pay £9,000 after he prayed outside the clinic. He said it represented the UK's "backslide away from conscience rights" at the Munich Security Council in February. The government introduced buffer zones around abortion clinics in England and Wales in October, which prevent protesters gathering in a 492ft (150m) radius around them. A Dorset Police spokesperson said the force's neighbourhood policing team has worked "extensively" with BPAS staff "to tackle the issues they face when going to work". The said: "We have seen a reduction in the number of criminal damage offences reported to us this year and have met with clinic management to ensure we are being made aware of all incidents that have taken place. "Subsequently we have not seen any additional reports. "The crime series remains under investigation and we actively pursue any potential lines of enquiry, however, no arrests have been made to date." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. JD Vance attacks Europe over free speech and migration Praying man breached abortion clinic safe zone Buffer zones set to come in around abortion clinics Abortion clinic protesters lose prayer case
BBC News
14-06-2025
- BBC News
Abortion clinic staff in Bournemouth feel 'abandoned', says charity
Staff at an abortion clinic feel "abandoned" by police because no-one has been prosecuted following more than 40 reports of alleged criminal damage to their vehicles, a charity has British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) runs the clinic in Ophir Road, Bournemouth, which anti-abortion protesters had stationed themselves outside of before a council order was implemented in clinic was brought to international attention when US Vice President JD Vance raised concerns over the prosecution of a man who breached a protection zone around it.A Dorset Police spokesperson said the force has met with BPAS staff regularly and that it was "actively pursuing" lines of enquiry. Rachael Clarke, BPAS's head of advocacy, said the lack of police action against people who allegedly left nails and screws on roads to be driven over was "incredibly upsetting"."We have been reporting this to the police. We work with the council. There's now CCTV up outside the clinic but still nobody has been identified, nobody has been caught," she said. "It often feels to our staff, who often are nurses and midwifes, who are going into help women access essential legal medical care, that they have been abandoned by local police and that's incredibly upsetting," Ms Clarke the council order was introduced, she said one protester would leave baby clothes in a bush close to the clinic "to try to make women feel guilty".Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council introduced the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for an area around the clinic in October 2022 in an effort to stop anti-social April, Livia Tossici-Bolt, from Bournemouth, was ordered to pay £20,000 for breaching the PSPO twice in March 2023. Vance voiced concern about the prosecution of Adam Smith-Connor, who was told to pay £9,000 after he prayed outside the said it represented the UK's "backslide away from conscience rights" at the Munich Security Council in government introduced buffer zones around abortion clinics in England and Wales in October, which prevent protesters gathering in a 492ft (150m) radius around them.A Dorset Police spokesperson said the force's neighbourhood policing team has worked "extensively" with BPAS staff "to tackle the issues they face when going to work".The said: "We have seen a reduction in the number of criminal damage offences reported to us this year and have met with clinic management to ensure we are being made aware of all incidents that have taken place. "Subsequently we have not seen any additional reports."The crime series remains under investigation and we actively pursue any potential lines of enquiry, however, no arrests have been made to date." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Wales is UK worst for surgical abortions, says charity
Wales is the worst part of the UK for providing surgical abortions with many women treated in England, according to a leading healthcare charity. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) said it was "astonishing" Wales was behind Northern Ireland, where abortion was only decriminalised in 2019. One south Wales woman said she felt extra trauma and guilt at the thought of being sent away for the procedure - which involves an operation to remove the pregnancy from the womb. The Welsh government said it accepted improvements needed to be made for mid-trimester (13 to 27 weeks) abortion services, and women should be able to access essential healthcare services closer to home. Women from Wales have to travel to England for abortions Abortion laws are Victorian era, says grieving mum In Wales, England and Scotland abortion is allowed up to 24 weeks of pregnancy with the approval of two doctors. Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 2019, and prior to that it was only allowed in very specific circumstances. Abortion care provider BPAS told BBC Wales that Northern Ireland now offered second trimester surgical abortions beyond 20 weeks, with Scotland offering services up to 20 weeks. However, in Wales there was "very limited provision after 14 weeks" it said, partly because of a "skills gap" and few doctors. Sarah, not her real name, found herself unexpectedly pregnant about two years ago. She was already a mum, and because she had experienced serious post-natal depression in the past, could not face going through with the pregnancy. Sarah, who is her late 30s, said she did not want a medical abortion because of an earlier miscarriage, but was told she could not have a surgical abortion locally because of an existing medical condition that meant she needed general anaesthetic. When she was around 16 weeks pregnant, she was offered the procedure in London with her travel and accommodation paid for for two nights. But she found the whole experience "really stressful". "There was a bigger sense of guilt, because I was being sent away," Sarah added. "I was imagining people with placards waving and shouting, I didn't know what hospital it would be. "Having to leave my two children – who I hadn't left for more than one night – what would we tell them, what would we do? It added a lot of extra stress and trauma." Sarah decided to continue with the pregnancy, describing it as a "really difficult time" until she was around 28 weeks. "Emotionally, it was the worst summer of my life," she said. What is surgical abortion? Surgical abortion involves an operation to remove the pregnancy from the womb It may be done with local anaesthetic, conscious sedation or general anaesthetic and, according to the NHS, the surgical method can be performed by vacuum or suction aspiration or by dilation and evacuation Medical abortions, which involve the use of drugs, accounted for 86% of abortions in Wales and England in 2022 Rachael Clarke from BPAS said each year about 175 women travel from Wales to England for care. "Many of these women don't want to speak out about what they experienced, they don't want to revisit it, and it makes it very easy for people to ignore the quite harrowing experiences," she said. The head of advocacy added it was often seen as the "easy option" to send women to a different service or country instead of accessing care closer to home. "A lot of that is down to clinical availability, but also premises," she said. "If you don't have space in a hospital, if you don't have a theatre, if you don't have a ward where women can go before and after that limits what you're able to provide." She added that there was a dangerous skills gap with a lack of doctors routinely performing surgical abortions, or procedures also used in mid-trimester miscarriage. The first women's health plan for Wales, published in December last year, lists abortion as a "fundamental aspect" of women's reproductive healthcare, stating it should be available "locally and without delay for all women" to reduce "complications, distress and cost". Funding and delivering services for mid-trimester abortion care is listed as a long-term goal, with a timescale of approximately six to 10 years. Ms Clarke described that timeline as "a kick in the guts". MS Sioned Williams said the women's health cross-party group had been asking the Welsh government to act since 2018. "It's important to me that when we say something is a health right, as it states in the new women's health plan, that there's action behind that to make it so, and that people are able to access abortions in a timely way," she said. The Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales West added she thought this could be easily changed because of the relatively small number of women who require this care. A spokesperson for the Welsh government accepted that improvements in mid-trimester abortion services need to be made, adding it fully acknowledges that women should be able to access essential healthcare services closer to home. "We are working with NHS Wales to identify and address the specific barriers to providing surgical abortion services locally and we are exploring what short-term improvements we can make while developing a robust, sustainable service for the future", they added.
The Independent
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Pro-choice group opposes Stella Creasy's abortion amendment
A leading pro-choice group has come out against Labour MP Stella Creasy's plan to overhaul abortion laws, warning the move is being rushed through without enough scrutiny. Rachael Clarke, head of advocacy at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said the NC20 amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill does not have the backing of abortion providers. The amendment would remove criminal penalties for abortion in England and Wales, effectively decriminalising the procedure in all circumstances. 'We are not supporting NC20, and neither are any of the abortion providers in the country,' Ms Clarke told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday. She said a separate proposal, NC1, has the support of more than 50 pro-choice organisations – unlike Creasy's. 'Abortion law is incredibly complex. It governs 250,000 women's healthcare every single year,' she said. 'Because of that, it is essential that any huge change to abortion law is properly considered. 'That means involvement with providers, medical bodies, regulators – and proper debate time in Parliament.' She warned that MPs are being asked to back a 'generational change' after just three hours of debate next week. 'For us, unfortunately, although we truly believe that we need overwhelming and generational change for abortion law, Stella Creasy's amendment is not the right way to do it,' she said. The amendment has also been heavily criticised by anti-abortion campaigners, who say it would amount to the most extreme liberalisation of the law since the 1967 Abortion Act. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) said NC20 could allow abortions on the basis of a baby's sex and would remove protections that allow abusers who harm unborn children to be prosecuted. SPUC said the amendment, along with another tabled by MP Tonia Antoniazzi, represents 'the greatest threat to unborn children and their mothers since the Abortion Act'. They urged supporters to lobby their MPs to vote against both proposals, warning that abortion 'up to birth' could become possible under the changes. Votes on the amendments are due to take place on June 17 and 18 during the report stage of the Criminal Justice Bill. Abortion in England and Wales remains a criminal offence. However a petition has gathered more than 103,653 signatures urging the Government at Westminster to 'remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion'. It is legal with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances allowing one after this time, such as when the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability. During a recent Westminster debate, Labour MP Tony Vaughan said it is time to 'abandon these outdated practices' of prosecuting women. He said: 'I believe that our laws cannot be fixed relics of the past but must reflect social attitudes and societal norms.' He insisted 'decriminalisation does not mean deregulation' and that he has not seen evidence 'to suggest that removing the criminal law deterrent would then motivate swathes of women to have abortions after 24 weeks'.
North Wales Chronicle
10-06-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Pro-choice group opposes Stella Creasy's abortion amendment
Rachael Clarke, head of advocacy at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said the NC20 amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill does not have the backing of abortion providers. The amendment would remove criminal penalties for abortion in England and Wales, effectively decriminalising the procedure in all circumstances. 'We are not supporting NC20, and neither are any of the abortion providers in the country,' Ms Clarke told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday. She said a separate proposal, NC1, has the support of more than 50 pro-choice organisations – unlike Creasy's. 'Abortion law is incredibly complex. It governs 250,000 women's healthcare every single year,' she said. 'Because of that, it is essential that any huge change to abortion law is properly considered. 'That means involvement with providers, medical bodies, regulators – and proper debate time in Parliament.' She warned that MPs are being asked to back a 'generational change' after just three hours of debate next week. 'For us, unfortunately, although we truly believe that we need overwhelming and generational change for abortion law, Stella Creasy's amendment is not the right way to do it,' she said. The amendment has also been heavily criticised by anti-abortion campaigners, who say it would amount to the most extreme liberalisation of the law since the 1967 Abortion Act. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) said NC20 could allow abortions on the basis of a baby's sex and would remove protections that allow abusers who harm unborn children to be prosecuted. SPUC said the amendment, along with another tabled by MP Tonia Antoniazzi, represents 'the greatest threat to unborn children and their mothers since the Abortion Act'. They urged supporters to lobby their MPs to vote against both proposals, warning that abortion 'up to birth' could become possible under the changes. Votes on the amendments are due to take place on June 17 and 18 during the report stage of the Criminal Justice Bill. Abortion in England and Wales remains a criminal offence. However a petition has gathered more than 103,653 signatures urging the Government at Westminster to 'remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion'. It is legal with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances allowing one after this time, such as when the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability. During a recent Westminster debate, Labour MP Tony Vaughan said it is time to 'abandon these outdated practices' of prosecuting women. He said: 'I believe that our laws cannot be fixed relics of the past but must reflect social attitudes and societal norms.' He insisted 'decriminalisation does not mean deregulation' and that he has not seen evidence 'to suggest that removing the criminal law deterrent would then motivate swathes of women to have abortions after 24 weeks'.
