Gendered Violence, Religion and UK-based Anti-Abortion Activism

Abstract

The United Nations view access to abortion as a fundamental human right. Yet increasingly in the UK, religiously-motivated activists undertake public displays opposing abortion, often outside abortion clinics, and precipitated through international campaigns like 40 Days for Life (Lowe and Page forthcoming). Activists see their actions as an essential intervention; some explicitly frame this as a form of help. But examining this from the perspective of how bodies are gendered and regulated in the public sphere raises questions regarding whether this is a form of harassment, and therefore gendered violence. This article is based on a UK ethnography. Using Kelly’s (1988) continuum of violence thesis, we examine whether this activism constitutes gendered violence, examining two different activities – prayer and graphic images. Despite these activities being distinct and contrasting, we argue that both should be understood as part of a continuum of violence, causing harm to those seeking abortion services.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/18785417-01201009
Divisions: College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities
College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities > Sociology and Policy
College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities > Centre for Critical Inquiry into Society and Culture (CCISC)
Additional Information: © 2022 Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/18785417-01201009
Uncontrolled Keywords: Prayer,graphic images,Virgin Mary,abortion,motherhood,continuum of violence
Publication ISSN: 1878-5417
Last Modified: 13 Mar 2024 08:18
Date Deposited: 17 Mar 2022 13:42
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: https://brill.c ... rticle-p5_2.xml (Publisher URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2022-04-14
Accepted Date: 2022-03-01
Authors: Page, Sarah-Jane (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-6879-536X)
Lowe, Pam (ORCID Profile 0000-0001-5933-453X)

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