Abortion Protest: Effects
I decided to attend the abortion protest in Manchester city centre yesterday after my friends told me that a Pro-Life society had formed at the University of Manchester. I didn't believe it at first.
The society has been set up to spread anti-abortion beliefs and propaganda. The committee has three men (with two women later announced due to the backlash they faced) and one of them is a medical student. Understandably, the students at this university have been outraged and complained to their Student Union, which has insisted that freedom of speech laws prohibit them from banning the society.
This issue has reached young people all over Manchester, including students from Manchester Metropolitan University and professionals in the city. I attended the protest as a social justice activist who is deeply disappointed that this kind of society is allowed to exist in 2024.
The organisers of the march, Stop Manchester Pro-Life, have spoken to the Pro-Life Society via social media and have relayed disgusting comments made regarding abortions in cases of rape.
Why is this a big deal if you're not a student on this campus? Roe v Wade was bound to have long-lasting effects, transcending global boundaries. Here in Manchester, we're witnessing the Pro-Life Society spread their hateful comments and abuse towards abortion, which is a legally protected right in the United Kingdom. Allowing this society means you allow people in Manchester to believe their bodily autonomy is up for debate. How can students feel safe? How can young people feel safe? How does this represent what we want?
The protest had a good turnout and I was proud to have attended. However, I could not even enjoy exercising my democratic rights because of recent political news. Home Secretary James Cleverly has publicly said that the police need to crack down on 'mob protests' in relation to the pro-Palestine marches. I am not a new protestor; I co-founded Youth Strike Manchester to stand up for young people and our environmental rights. Cleverly's words, as well as the Government issuing increased protest powers to police, demonstrate a restraint on our democratic rights.
I saw police attend the protest and I felt very fearful. I am an ethnic minority and I am aware of the guidance that police can now arrest individuals if they seem to APPEAR to be causing trouble. I only stayed at the protest as long as I could to make my point and not face repercussions for exercising my democratic right to protest. And this is from someone who ran protests and knows how they operate, so how do others feel?
I used to love protesting and meeting others who felt so passionate. And I saw that spark, those people who were so emotional and passionate about abortion rights. But I did not feel safe staying, and that is what the Government wants. For us to stay silent on Palestine and other issues that we should be advocating for, that we have the protected RIGHT to advocate for.
I hope the Pro-Life Society is disbanded because it has absolutely no place in Manchester. This is the birthplace of political ideology, the women's suffrage movement, the notions of liberalism. How can we allow such a Society to undermine the healthcare rights of our citizens? The University of Manchester and its Student Union should be listening to its students but also to the wider Mancunian community who are observing their actions and what they really stand for. It is time for them to prove their student population is listened to and that their principles align with those of the citizens.
Comentarios