So. We’ve come to the end of our 40 days of pro-choice actions. Thanks so much for sending us your photos, adding our Twibbon and the many retweets and messages. It’s been great to see so many people engaging with positive action to defend abortion rights, particularly at a time when we are witnessing so many attacks on our reproductive freedoms.

With that in mind, we’ve one last action. Writing to your MP to address concerns about anti-choice activity. There’s a template letter here and if you aren’t sure how to contact your MP go to www.theyworkforyou.com and enter your postcode.

Thanks again for your support, and stay involved by following fab pro-choice organisations on Twitter (we’ll be tweeting some ideas!)

First of all, thanks to all those who came out and supported the counter-protest last night. There’s a Guardian write up here, and keep following @bloomsburypca for updates.

Today’s action is a nice relaxed one for a Saturday afternoon - have a look at this fabulous pro-choice comic based on Education For Choice’s investigation into crisis pregnancy centres in the UK. Share the link with your pro-choice friends!

Today’s action is, of course, to come to the Pro-Choice Protest tonight at 7.00pm in Bedford Square, WC1B.

We need to send a clear message to 40 Days for Life and all anti-choice protesters who target abortion clinics and intimidate women: your tactics are unacceptable and you don’t represent mainstream public opinion.

We need to demonstrate the strength of support that exists in this country for the right to safe legal abortion.

We need to show our solidarity with those who provide the service in often difficult circumstances.

And we need to say to those countless women who have had and will have abortions: we trust you and support your right to choose.

So grab your banners, get down to Bedford Square and make some noise for choice!

The Facebook event page is here and there’s more info here.

Here’s a map. The nearest tube station is Tottenham Court Road.

Abortion Rights and BloomsburyPCA will be tweeting from the protest (or trying to when they get a chance!)

A quick reminder (not that you need it): we’re looking forward to a peaceful, good-humoured protest – so let’s be polite, non-confrontational and respectful of people’s religion.

OK, that’s it. See you at Bedford Square!

Time to get on Just Giving and show a bit of financial pro-choice love! EFC has 20 years experience of educating young people about abortion – giving them evidence-based, impartial information about pregnancy options. You may have seen their exposé of SPUC’s inaccurate school presentations in last weekend’s Guardian, or their excellent investigation into crisis pregnancy centres in 2011. Donations to EFC, whether big or small will help the project continue producing excellent pro-choice resources, training professionals and advocating for young people’s right to factual information about abortion.

To read more about EFC’s work over the last 20 years read this blog.

One in three women will have an abortion at some point in her life, but the voices of those who have first hand experience of it are rarely heard in debate on the issue.

Instead, anti-choice groups constantly tell us about the dire consequences of exercising our right to choose.

According to them, following abortion we are affilicted by guilt, trauma, mental illness, miscarriage and infertility.

We are told that we’re having abortions casually, frivolously, for ‘lifestyle reasons’, to end an ‘inconvenient’ pregnancy.

We are told that we don’t know our own minds, that we need counselling, cooling-off periods, even ultrasound scans to make us realise the error of our ways.

Today’s action is to take a look at what women who have actually had an abortion say about the experience: how they felt, why they made their choice, what their lives were like at the time.

There are hundreds of stories recorded on the Pro-Choice Majority website. Have a read and please do add your own experience (anonymously if you like), or leave a message of support.

And visit FPA’s website listen to women from Northern Ireland talk about why they chose abortion and the barriers they faced in trying to access services.

Inspired by the BPCA’s call for more chaps to get involved with their Sunday counter protests we thought we’d make today’s action one for ‘teh menz’. If you’re female-identified speak to your male friends and colleagues and ask them to add our Twibbon, send us a lovely photo and follow us on Twitter. If you’re male-identified, do these things and shout your support for reproductive rights from the rooftops! See you ALL at the demo on Friday!

Afternoon all,

The action for today is to read this brilliant and timely Guardian editorial: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/mar/25/abortion-law-case-for-change. It’s just great.

xx 

Morning all!

A straightforward action today - Brook is a young people’s sexual health charity and delivers services and outreach work to hundreds of thousands of young people under 25 every year.

Brook’s volunteers also created the Sex:Positive campaign to challenge negative attitudes towards young people and sex. It is brilliant!

Brook does absolutely amazing work and it would be great if you could show your support for them - find out more and how to support Brook here: http://www.brook.org.uk/professionals/support-us

Thanks! x

Today’s action is simple. Think happy, soothing pro-choice thoughts!

Today has seen another attempt by the anti-choice lobby to chip away at our reproductive rights, see Sarah Ditum’s take on it here. We’re clearly going to have to gear up and make sure the pro-choice majority voice is heard as these attacks continue. But for now, be calm, be kind, and have a lovely weekend.