The Government has received criticism for providing funding of £250,000 to Life, an anti-abortion organisation, who has previously made unevidenced claims about abortion, vaccinations and contraception. This grant was made from a £10 million a year fund set up to benefit women’s charities from the VAT receipts on sanitary products. The British Humanist Association (BHA), which has previously exposed the unevidenced claims being made, believes that this funding will put vulnerable women at risk by allowing Life to propagate false information about sexual and reproductive health.
Life claims that this grant will support a programme of ‘housing, practical help, counselling, emotional support and life skills training for young pregnant women who are homeless.’ However, the BHA and Education for Choice (EfC) have previously revealed that Life’s work is underpinned by an anti-abortion agenda that denies women access to accurate information about their pregnancies.
In 2012 the BHA and EfC exposed a number of claims that Life was making in its work in schools. These included that there is a link between abortion and breast cancer, which has been refuted by Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and that abortion contributes to higher suicide rates, which has been shown to be unsubstantiated in a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
In 2012, the BHA, EfC and 11 other groups jointly submitted a letter to Michael Gove, then Secretary of State for Education, to ask that evidence be a criterion in deciding what is taught in sex and relationships education. EfC subsequently published a report summarising the issues found with grounds providing abortion education in UK schools. It also later published a report highlighting misinformation, bias, and poor practice at Life counselling centres.
A number of other religious groups have also received funding through the tampon tax fund, though none that are known to have an anti-abortion stance.
BHA Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented, ‘It is outrageous that Life has been granted funding under the “tampon tax” fund, which was intended to support women’s specific issues and inequalities. An organisation that provides biased and inaccurate information about abortion fundamentally fails to meet this criteria. We will write to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to express our concerns about the suitability of Life to receive this funding.’
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For further comment or information contact Richy Thompson, Director of Public Affairs and Policy at richy@humanists.uk or on 020 3675 0959.
Read the Government’s announcements of the tampon tax fund recipients: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/charities-across-the-uk-benefit-from-tampon-tax-fund
Read more about the BHA’s campaigns around abortion: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/public-ethical-issues/sexual-and-reproductive-rights/
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.
The BHA is a member of the steering group of Voice for Choice, the national pro-choice coalition, and a supporter of the We Trust Women and Back Off campaigns. Northern Ireland Humanists, which is a part of the BHA, is also on the steering group of Trust Women NI, the campaign coalition seeking abortion law reform in Northern Ireland.