‘THIS IS NOT ABOUT CARING FOR UNBORN BABIES, IT’S ABOUT CONTROLLING WOMEN’
Naomi Connor, 49, lives in Belfast with her husband, Ryan, 44, and is coconvener of charity Alliance for Choice and an activist for abortion rights. She has two daughters, aged 29 and 28. When I heard about the planned overturning of Roe v Wade, I froze. Could this really be happening?
I have been campaigning for years for abortion rights in Northern Ireland, a fight which rages on despite the decriminalisation of abortion back in October 2019. But to imagine a country with a population 300 times bigger than Northern Ireland making abortion illegal is frightening.
Overturning the law won’t stop women having abortions but it will mean that women will have unsafe abortions – and as a result, women will, without a doubt, die.
After I was forced to travel to England to get an abortion in October 2012, I began campaigning for change alongside the pro-choice charity Alliance for Choice.
The whole process, appointment and flights would cost almost £1,000. I could afford to pay that – but I shuddered thinking about all the women and young
girls who weren’t as fortunate. And this will apply to millions of women in America.
Through the campaigning I have done, it has opened my eyes to the layers of complexities of abortion. Women with refugee status who have fled war-torn countries and now find themselves isolated, women who have been assaulted, women who are experiencing domestic violence. These stories are not exceptions, they are prevalent, they are real and they are happening every day.
And they are happening in America, too. It is a huge country – if the law changes, many women will not have the ability or finances to travel abroad for a safe procedure. This will lead to women having unsafe abortions.
There has been no mention from the Supreme Court of the safety of women in America if the overturning of Roe v Wade goes ahead. This isn’t about caring for the unborn babies, it’s about controlling women.
I desperately fear the ramifications of this move. America is arguably the most powerful nation in the world - will other countries follow suit? It is terrifying.
I am writing a letter on behalf of the Alliance to offer our solidarity, but the stark reality is that 50 years of progress could be about to be overturned. Women around the world are shamed and prosecuted for abortions. Isn’t it time abortion becomes a medical not a criminal matter?
‘It will lead to unsafe abortions’