A huge anti-abortion rally happened in London on Saturday 6 September. However, the March for Life has links to a US Christian far-right group.
March for Life: awful demo backed by awful group
March for Life took place on Saturday and comprised a full day of panels and family events, culminating in a march to Parliament Square. While the event itinerary itself already seemed pretty grim – from panels on how abortion “dehumanises the unborn” to events where children and teenagers get to design their own prolife t-shirts – there was an even worse undercurrent.
Legal campaign group The Good Law Project revealed that of the 13 speakers on panels and at the march itself, eight of them had direct links to Alliance Defending Freedom – a Christian legal organisation based in Arizona that has done so much damage that the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated them as an “anti-LGBTQ+ hate group”.
ADF want to make abortion completely illegal, re-criminalise homosexuality, make gay marriage and adoption illegal again, they oppose Trans rights and campaigned against COVID-19 vaccines and restrictions. Basically, they’re fucking awful people.
They were an integral part of the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs Wade, which stripped people in many states of their abortion rights, and they’re a big supporter of banning gender affirming care for teens.
Harassing people at abortion clinics
The Good Law Project identified that many of the speakers at the March for Life had ties to this disgusting group. March for Life’s co-director, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, was supported by ADF after being arrested twice for praying outside abortion clinics. Their support led to charges being dropped, ADF then successfully claimed against West Midlands Police for her arrests.
ADF has been a big proponent in attacks on buffer zones at abortion clinics in recent years. They’ve represented anti-abortion activists in America, the UK, and Europe who have broken laws protecting people seeking abortions from being harassed outside clinics.
While abortion decriminalisation was voted in by MPs in England and Wales in June, it still hasn’t been made the law yet. It also doesn’t fully decriminalise abortion and offers no protections for buffer zones or that there must be safe access to abortion clinics as a human right.
Vaughan-Spruce isn’t the only buffer zone protester involved; Livia Tossici-Bolt was arrested in Bournemouth and found guilty after harassing women with a grim sign that said “Here to talk, if you want”, to try and discourage women from getting abortions. She was ordered to pay £20,000 in fines. After Trump pardoned anti-abortion activists four days into his current term, the US state department sent a delegation to meet with Tossici-Bolt and the UK branch of ADF.
Dodgy MPs and religious leaders
Northern Irish MP Carla Lockhart also spoke at the event. She has previously supported ADF cases and is the chair of the Pro-Life All-Party Parliamentary Group. Another politician speaking is former MP Fiona Bruce, who was paid to speak by the ADF in 2023.
Many religious leaders spoke at the event, among them was the co-founder of Christian Concern, Andrea Williams. The group is against banning LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, and you’ve guessed it, has previously worked with ADF.
Good Law Project also highlighted that some of the religious figures involved in the event have murky pasts. Bishops Patrick McKinney and Ralph Heskett were both accused of mishandling sexual abuse cases, while pastor Aaron Edwards was dismissed from a teaching job and faced a counter-terrorism referral after tweeting “homosexuality is invading the church.”
Stand up against hateful bigots at March for Life
In 2024, the ADF spent over £1 million on the UK branch. The hate group is partly funded by US conservatives, including Charles Koch and has links to the Morgan Stanley Foundation. Last year’s March for Life was attended by between 8,000 and 10,000 people, though that’s only according to the organisers.
At a time when more and more men in positions of power want to take away our freedoms, it’s vital we stand up for abortion rights.
Featured image via the Canary
