Research into protests and vigils that take place outside clinics and hospitals offering abortion care

Chapter four: Interviews with attendees and organisers

4.1. Introduction

This research sought to engage with protest and vigil attendees and organisers. As noted previously, in parallel to the research, but independently from it, the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act was introduced to the Scottish Parliament. The Bill proposals and its consultation were cited by those coordinating or participating in vigils and protests as a reason for not participating in this research.

While it has not been possible to conduct in-depth analysis of the small number of interviews which have been conducted (n=4), this section outlines the methodology that has been adopted and provides a high-level summary of the themes which emerged.

4.2. Methodology

Through consultation with the Scottish Government, and through our own internet searches, we identified a number of organisations which were known to be currently involved in organising protests and vigils which take place outside healthcare facilities that provide abortion services in Scotland.

We contacted these organisations in December 2022 and the initial round of emails resulted in two responses from people who were willing to take part. Several responses were received from organisations and individuals who stated that they were not willing to take part in the research. One participant was able to pass on details of a colleague who was willing to be interviewed, which enabled this further interview to take place. Follow-up interview request emails were sent in January 2023 to all parties who had not responded. This round of participant recruitment resulted in one further response, who was contacted and interviewed.

To increase and to diversify the sample, the research team also identified and contacted ‘pro-life’ student groups, via email, offering an invitation to participate in the research. There were no responses to the original emails, and follow-up emails were sent later in 2023, with no responses received.

Therefore, in total, four interviews were conducted. Those who took part in the interviews agreed to contact people within their professional networks to encourage participation in the research. All later came back and conveyed that people who participate in protests or vigils were aware of the proposed Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act and due to this they were not willing to take part in the research.

4.3. Summary of findings

It was not possible to conduct in-depth analysis of the interviews that were carried out on the basis that robust conclusions could not be drawn due to the small sample size (n=4), and the potential ethical risk of the participants being identifiable in data published from such a small sample. Therefore, the detailed interview findings have been excluded from this report, and instead a high-level summary of the themes that emerged from the interviews is provided below.

Those who took part in the interviews shared the following motivations:

• A motivation to be present as a sign to women who may be unsure about their decision.
• A desire to be part of a network of people who could intervene in situations where a woman appears to be being coerced into abortion.
• A motivation to be part of a network of people that could offer emotional and/or financial support to enable women to consider that there may be other alternatives to abortion.
• A desire to bear witness to the act of abortion by engaging in prayer outside of clinics and hospitals that provide abortions.
• A desire to promote the view that life begins at conception as a form of ‘truth sharing’.
• A motivation to be a visible presence that may make passersby and those accessing abortion healthcare pause and reflect.

Although the interviews were low in number, those who took part participated in detailed discussions and conferred insights into some of the beliefs and concepts that may motivate people to take part in vigils. For these participants, vigils were conceptualised as being quiet activities during which attendees would take part in a form of meaningful action through their presence and provide active support. Prayer and ‘bearing witness’ were represented to be acts that bore no potential for harm, but these aspects of the activities were considered to be motivated by people’s desire to be in alignment with their faith and religious expression. This related to the belief that human life begins at conception, and healthcare facilities that offer abortion are also places where lives end. Therefore, the act of prayer is understood to be a necessary marking of the spot where a life ceases to be. This, however, was represented to be only one component of the aim of those who take part in vigils outside clinics and hospitals that provide abortion healthcare. Another aim was expressed as being to provide women with alternative options to abortion, including practical, financial and emotional support. These findings align with those in the rapid evidence review (Appendix two).

It was noted in some of the interviews with protest and vigil organisers that there are some differences in the motivations of people who organise or attend protests and vigils, as well as some significant differences in the way protests and vigils are organised and enacted. For example, one interviewee shared with us that they are aware that some protests may aim to harass or intimidate women, while others are intended as offering silent prayer or practical support.