UK political party under fire for 'proudly embracing anti-choice politics'

Mainstream British media outlets and pro-abortion advocates have initiated a coordinated attack on populist party Reform UK, accusing its leaders of politicizing abortion by appealing to pro-life voters.

Key Takeaways:

• Certain media outlets are attacking the UK Reform party as it begins to move toward family-oriented pro-life values.

• The outlets accuse Reform of politicizing the abortion issue by adopting "tactics" similar to those used by politicians in America.

• Pro-lifers in the UK can capitalize on this publicity, despite its negativity, by taking the opportunity to show the humanity of preborn children and reiterate the dignity of every human life, born or preborn.

The Details:

Reform UK, which calls itself “pro-family” and emphasizes “traditional British values,” is under fire from pro-abortion voices like The Independent, Left Foot Forward, Yahoo, and pro-abortion organizations, accused of importing a “culture-war” dynamic from the United States (US) to politicize the abortion debate in Britain.

Pro-abortion group Abortion Rights alleged that Reform UK is becoming “a political refuge for anti-abortion hardliners” and is “proudly embracing anti-choice politics.”

“We’ve been seeing US-style anti-abortion politics in the UK for a long time,” said Kerry Abel, chair of Abortion Rights, in a press release. “The new dynamic with Reform is that they seem to be capitalising on immigration rhetoric and increasingly – as we’ve noticed since the end of 2024 – speaking about abortion and family values generally. It’s been a tactic by anyone who is anti-choice to look to the US, but I think this is a sign of where Reform are going with this.”

Similarly, pro-abortion media outlets like The Independent have sought to portray these developments as Reform UK’s efforts to “strip away women’s rights” as the party seeks to discuss the issue of killing preborn children more openly.

Grassroots and party member surveys have signaled a rising desire among Reform’s base for an overhaul on Britain’s abortion laws. According to a poll done by Vote Life, Reform UK’s membership generally backs policies such as a possible “heartbeat bill,” suggesting a realignment of the pro-life vote in Britain away from the mainstream Conservative Party.

What We're Hearing:

Nigel Farage, Reform UK’s prominent and outgoing leader, while proclaiming himself to be “pro-choice," has repeatedly declared that present British laws permitting abortion up to 24 weeks are “ludicrous,” “out of date,” and should be debated in Parliament. In remarks earlier this year quoted by Sky News, Farage said: 

“I am pro-choice, but I think it's ludicrous, utterly ludicrous that we can allow abortion up to 24 weeks.

And yet, if a child is born prematurely at 22 weeks, your local hospital will move heaven and earth and probably succeed in that child surviving and going on and living a normal life.

So I believe there is an inconsistency in the law. I believe it is totally out of date.”

In November 2024, Farage also remarked, "Is 24 weeks right for abortion, given that we now save babies at 22? That, to me, would be worthy of a debate in parliament, but should that be along party lines? I don't think so.”

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Likewise, Danny Kruger, who defected from the Conservative Party to Reform, and who notably backed Britain’s 1967 Abortion Act, stated in Parliament that he believes women do not have “an absolute right to bodily autonomy” regarding the matter of abortion. 

“They think that women have an absolute right to bodily autonomy in this matter, whereas I think in the case of abortion that right is qualified by the fact that another body is involved,” Kruger said.

Also, Andrea Jenkyns, the Reform mayor of Greater Lincolnshire and previously a Conservative Party member, opposed measures to liberalize access to abortion while she was a lawmaker. 

The Bottom Line:

Kruger is correct in his sentiments about bodily autonomy; in fact, no one has absolute bodily autonomy, as every law tells us in some way what we can or cannot do with our bodies. And it is the legitimate duty of a government to legally protect innocent human beings from being intentionally killed.

Abortion, family values, and the dignity of preborn lives have been thrust into the national spotlight and have been put up to debate in the British Parliament. Yet despite ongoing pro-abortion attacks and accusations, pro-life advocates can leverage these as opportunities to further champion the dignity and sanctity of all human lives.