Abortion is very common in our nation. According to The Guardian website, 1 in 3 women in the UK have had an abortion in their lifetime. It is seen as a problem and causes much commotion. Abortions are had by girls as young as 13 years old. We spoke to Abortion Rights spokesperson, Kate Smuthwaite. Kate explained to us what Abortion Rights stood for: “Abortion Rights is the national UK wide campaign for women’s right to choose.” We found Kate accessible, she told us what we needed to know and was forthcoming in giving us her views and telling us what she thought.
Kate stated that: “People often say; ‘oh you know there’ve been people under 16 having an abortion’, but I think what is more worrying is people under 16 having babies.” Wise words. Despite Pro-Life groups being completely against all Kate’s beliefs she still says: “If you want to have your campaign then that’s your right to do that.”
Yet Kate does have one thing that makes her tick, lies: “If you go on Google and you type; ‘Pregnant I am worried’, the first things that come up offering counselling for young women are say; ‘If you have an abortion, it’s really dangerous and you can die! you will go to hell!’ They’re not really giving advice about all the options. I think it’s really dishonest.”
There are many groups that provide support and advice in this area. Shine are a support group based in the London Borough of Newham. They target 16-24 year olds but also cater for younger ages as well. We interviewed Ellis, 18, who is a Peer Mentor at Shine: “I do peer mentoring, organising events, hand out condoms, go to universities and colleges and do the Shine stall; give out information ... for young people.”
From the lies to the advice and to the opinions we believe that abortion is a decision to be made and only made by the mother and father. Abortion is not a decision to be rushed into, but instead thought about carefully and in depth as to what is best for the parents and the baby. It is also good to get some help or advice from the outside world. Even if you can’t speak to parents, there are groups like Shine that offer 100% confidentiality.
About this story
This story was produced by Ola Adeniran, 14 and Amrita Kaur-Landa, 15.
