Rotherham, 9th December 2024
Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham, visited MSI Reproductive Choices UK’s abortion clinic in Rotherham on Friday to show her support for reproductive rights.
She received a tour of the new, state-of-the-art facility, which opened in August, and provides high-quality, NHS-funded reproductive healthcare services including medical abortion, surgical abortion and vasectomy, as well as post-abortion contraception.
Champion is currently Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and supported efforts earlier this year to prevent women from being criminalised for ending their own pregnancies. During the visit, she spoke with Louise McCudden, UK head of external affairs at MSI, about why now is the time for abortion law reform in England and Wales.
Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham, commented:
“I’m proud that we have such strong sexual and reproductive healthcare services in Rotherham, not only in terms of the core service provision but also emotional and safeguarding support for women.
“With growing attempts to roll back reproductive rights around the world, it is more important than ever that we defend reproductive rights here – and we could start by reforming our Victorian abortion laws.
“One in three women has an abortion in her lifetime. The vast majority are carried out by a regulated provider like MSI via the NHS. But a small minority of women do find themselves facing criminal investigation after being suspected of ending their pregnancies outside the law – and these are usually vulnerable women who need support, not threats of jail. It’s absolutely critical that women and girls can access abortion care without fearing they will be prosecuted, even if they find themselves in challenging circumstances having to make impossible decisions.”
Caroline Day, deputy named nurse for safeguarding at MSI Reproductive Choices UK, said:
“Our goal in Rotherham is to bring reproductive choice to the local community by creating a safe, welcoming environment where individuals feel cared for and empowered to make the best decisions for themselves. I’m incredibly proud to host Sarah at our new clinic. Her visit demonstrates that abortion care is valued by elected MPs in Parliament.
“With a global rollback on reproductive rights, empowered by Donald Trump’s election win last month, and with a growing number of women in the UK investigated following unexplained pregnancy losses under laws dating back to the Victorian era, Sarah Champion’s support for abortion law reform is enormously important to us. The women who have already been investigated under these outdated laws include domestic abuse survivors, suspected trafficking victims and women who have experienced a miscarriage. In many cases, all charges are eventually dropped – but not before they have been investigated, sometimes separated from their children, with the most intimate details of their lives made public. That’s why it’s so vital that we continue to campaign for abortion law reform to prevent vulnerable women in this community and throughout the country from being prosecuted or even investigated for making decisions about their own bodies.
– Ends -
Notes to Editors
MSI’s clinic in Rotherham is open Monday to Saturday and is located at 3 A/B Phoenix Riverside, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 1FL.
Clients can also access alternative clinics from MSI’s locations across the country. Those located closest to the area are at MSI Choices Sheffield Abortion Clinic at Norfolk Park Medical Centre, 227 Park Grange Road, Sheffield, S2 3TA, and MSI Choices Barnsley Abortion Clinic at Darton Health Centre, Church Street, Darton, Barnsley, S75 5HQ.
For further information or interviews with MSI spokespeople please contact:
Name: Kylie Harrison and Grace Dunne
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 07769 166 516
