I've seen many motions come before the assembly in my time here but this one I think so miss-
represents the truth of what is
happening outside the abortion clinics
that it could be out of 1984 it calls
the pro-life campaigners and people who
are holding quiet dignified vigils there in order to try and help mothers
to make a decision which they may not
want to make anti-choice Intimidators it
calls them it says that they are
obstructing and harassing people who
were going into the abortion clinics
that simply is not the case at all the
name of the group that stands outside
the clinic in Ealing is called The
Good Counsel and they've been there
holding a daily vigil for 23 years this
was debated in the Home Affairs Select
Committee in the Commons a couple of
weeks ago and the British pregnancy
advisory service was asked about the
protests there they could not name one
single conviction for an offence the
police wrote to say they were unaware of
any cautions arrests or prosecutions in
the last 23 years and they challenged
the Good Counsel network in the Home
Affairs Select Committee to provide as
an example of a substantiating offense
or example of harassment and they
couldn't and the local police in Ealing
have not been calling for any powers to
create buffer zones what it does is take
good people and try to call them bad
people the internationally accepted
word for people who are against the
practice of abortion is pro-life this
calls them anti-choice the fact is that
another organisation set up in Ealing
called sister
supporter and they went out wearing high
visibility jackets and megaphones and
they were joined on some occasions by
the local MP and they're the ones who
are making all the noise outside the
clinic not the Good Counsel who holds a
dignified quiet prayerful vigil on
Tuesday I went to meet the Good Counsel
and I went to meet some of the mothers
and their children who are still alive
because they received advice from the
Good Counsel
before you vote for this I'd ask you
have you been to meet them
have you been to talk to any of the
mothers who have been helped by them
have you met their children who are
still alive today because there are
mothers going in there who think that
they don't have any choice but they've
been told that you can get help if you
want to have your baby you don't have to
have an abortion there are people there
who will support you and help you I met
a mother who was in an abusive
relationship she'd already had two
children she was in difficulty in her
home situation she thought she could not
cope with a third child because there
was no one there to help her she met the
Good Counsel people who just simply
quietly give out leaflets if they want them
they don't harass or intimidate anybody
she took a leaflet she went to them for
help and they gave her help and their
child is alive today and I met that
mother and her baby and they're very
happy and they made the right decision
and actually they are very very
successful in what they do because there
are over a thousand mothers in Ealing
alone who made the decision not to have
an abortion and a thousand children who
are alive today who wouldn't be and I
fear if we vote for this motion we are
going to take away perhaps the last
choice the last hope
mothers may have not to have an abortion
and to realise that there are people who
will help them to make a decision that
they may not think is open to them if it
were true that they were harassing and
intimidating and abusing women yes I'd
vote for this but that simply isn't the
case and I hope you will consider what
I've said that the good counsel are good
people who only want to help people only
want to help mothers to make a choice
that they may not have considered before
time and I hope you will vote against
that with me today thank you very much
