Jeremy Hunt MP Secretary of State for Health UK Government

Dear Mr Hunt,

Abortion Rights is concerned that an abortion clinic has been closed as a result of anti-choice protestors’ actions, as published in The Times on 21 July 2015 . It is surely the Government’s responsibility, within the legal framework set by the Abortion Act 1967, to ensure that there is provision for access to safe, legal abortions for women regardless of where they live. These services are delivered directly by, or on behalf of, the NHS. This has been reiterated by the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) treaty, which states that ‘Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, access to health care services, including those related to family planning’. Abortion Rights supports the patients - now and in the future - and the staff that run abortion services and provide terminations. It is not acceptable for any part of our National Health Service to be held hostage by a small number of protesters who are preventing women accessing, or getting information about, services. We believe that the NHS should be able to ensure that staff can work free from harassment, that patients can access services, and that no appointments are cancelled, or clinics closed, as a result of such disruptive actions. We the undersigned call on you, as the Secretary of State for Health, to outline the steps being taken by the Government to reverse this situation, and to support all those providing and accessing abortion services.

Yours sincerely, Kerry Abel, Abortion Rights MP Baroness Gould Dr Wendy Savage Scarlet Harris, Women's Equality Officer, TUC Caroline Lucas MP Susuana Amoah, Women’s Officer, NUS MP Fiona MacTaggart MP Cat Smith MP MP MP Siobhan Endean, National Officer for Equalities, Unite the union Christina McAnea, National Secretary for Health, Unison Sharon Greene, National Women’s Officer, Unison Kamaljeet Jandu, Equality and Inclusion Officer, GMB Linda Roy, National Equality Officer, CWU Elizabeth Law, President, UCU Ann Henderson, Assistant Secretary, STUC Terry Sanderson, President, National Secular Society Kate Smurthwaite, Comedian and activist Sara Pascoe, Comedian Zoe Margolis, Author Dr Susie Orbach, Author Dr Pam Lowe, Academic Dr Evan Harris, Hacked Off Richard Dawkins MP Luciana Berger MP MP Natalie Bennett