Catalogue Number
NMLH.2025.32.8
Object Name
placard
Title
'We support your right to choose'
Place
Fallowfield, Manchester, UK
People
Sister Supporter Manchester, Abortion Rights Campaign, Manchester City Council, Marie Stopes International (MSI) Reproductive Choices, NHS, 40 Days for Life (anti-abortion campaign)
Events
Fallowfield abortion clinic buffer zone campaign (2020), Public Order Act (2023), Safe Access Zone law (2024)
Description
A white placard with black text which reads 'We support your right to choose'.
This placard was made by a member of the pro-choice abortion rights campaign group Sister Supporter during their successful campaign for the creation of a 'buffer zone' around the MSI Reproductive Choices clinic in Fallowfield, Manchester.
Sister Supporter argued that a buffer zone around the clinic - within which abortion related protests would be banned - would mean that people seeking reproductive healthcare at MSI Fallowfield would be protected from harassment while attending the clinic. Without a buffer zone, anti-abortion protesters were able to stand at the entrance to the clinic holding placards showing images of fetuses, hand out distressing and in some cases factually incorrect leaflets, hold prayer vigils and distribute religious material to patients with the goal of shaming and pressuring people not to have abortions. Sister Supporter volunteers would show up to the clinic as an act of solidarity while these protests were taking place, so patients could see people who supported their access to healthcare, not just anti-abortion protesters.
Staff at MSI Fallowfield reported that the clinic had been a target for protesters including the group 40 Days for Life for a decade before the zone was introduced. The experience or fear of harassment by anti-abortion protestors created a barrier to accessing healthcare, as some people find accessing abortion services a distressing experience. The buffer zone campaign was successful, and Manchester City Council introduced a Safe Access Zone around the clinic in October 2020 using a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO). In Autumn 2024, the UK government introduced legislation creating safe access buffer zones around all clinics nationally as part of the Public Order Act 2023. Law-breakers can be arrested, prosecuted and receive unlimited fines. Anti-abortion protesters describe the law as "draconian" and impinging on their freedom of speech and civil liberties.
