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Rebecca's story: The 98%
My teenage judgements sound very extreme but if we are completely honest with ourselves, we all know the teen mum stereotype – chav tracksuit, no qualifications, hanging around the ‘dole office’. Not to mention, it is automatically assumed that they are bad mothers. So, when I sat in that doctor’s…
Carol's story
When I told my mother I was pregnant, she found an advert about having an abortion. To my parents, this was the only option, and that was how they presented it to me. They took me to a Marie Stopes advisor, and she advised me on how to get an abortion. No alternatives were discussed with me. My…
Bex's story: I am a pro-life feminist
Abortion is a tool of male oppression. These words are not my own but I do subscribe to them when abortion is used not to save women’s lives but to control them. These words were penned by our feminist foremothers, Susan B Antony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who put it quite eloquently when they…
Nick's story: Grace and the value of every human life
A further scan listened to mother’s and baby’s heartbeats. I could hear Janice’s heart beating firmly and loudly, albeit faster than normal due to her anxiety. You had to listen more carefully to discern the second heartbeat. It was fainter, more hesitant, but it was there! We were hearing the…
Olivia's body, Olivia's choice?
What was your view of unplanned pregnancy before? Before I experienced an unplanned pregnancy, my view was that it doesn’t matter if a pregnancy is planned or unplanned, if you’ve made the decision to be sexually active then you have already agreed to the possibility of creating life. A foetus is…
Andrew's story: Abortion for disability... and me
I was born with a a condition called 'achondroplasia', a form of dwarfism that prevents me from being able to convert cartilage to bone, restricting the growth in my arms and legs. On average, 1 in every 27,000 children are diagnosed with achondroplasia. Realising that babies with a disability,…
Janine's story: From unwanted to so very wanted
I wasn’t even maternal – I was never the girl who you would call upon to babysit – children were okay when they were far away and well behaved but I certainly didn’t want to look after one, not even for an hour, never mind for the next 18 years or more. The day after I took a pregnancy test, I…
Sara's story: Silenced by shame, set free to flourish
A few weeks later I found out that I was pregnant and was in turmoil. I had been brought up Roman Catholic and believed that life begins at conception. The father of our baby wanted me to have an abortion and made it very clear that he would not support me in any other decision. Silenced by my…
Shona's story: My supported choice led to years of torment
What was I going to do... What would people say... What about my family... What about his? Life was growing inside me, something I had dreamt about for years, but the circumstances were too complicated. I would be a single mother… Would the father even want to know… I couldn’t do this. I kept the…
Cultural comment
Abortion rates have almost doubled in NI in the last three years since abortion law was changed
"So, what do you do for work?": a team member's perspective on being pro-both
It's a question I've learned to slightly dread. I'm Lisa, the Both Lives research and communications assistant. It's a privilege to speak up for women and their unborn babies, but that doesn't mean it's always straightforward. Beyond the supportive environment in the office, navigating an…
Lisa Curry
Celebrating a membership legacy
Residing in the leafy suburbs of Surrey, I met Gill and Ken on a sunny autumn morning for breakfast at their home. For a city dweller the gardens could feel intimidatingly impressive, but the couple who greeted me at the door were friendly, inviting, and down to earth. Showing no signs of slowing…
Nicola Morrison
Heart Behind the Art: Interview with Steve Thompson
The way Steve spends his time and lifts others up testifies to the humble, perceptive and generous heart he has for God’s kingdom, behind what is an impressive CV. He and his beloved wife Velveta (also a gifted musician) recently relocated to the Midlands and are ready for the next phase of God’s…
Helen Locke
Together, we can be the generation to end human trafficking
There are no exact figures, because this is a hidden crime, but it is estimated that there are 50 million people living in modern slavery worldwide. About 122,000 of them are in the UK. Numbers like this are too vast to really comprehend, which is why when I hear them, I don’t think in terms of…
Tim Nelson
A wing and a prayer
"I was 19 years old when I volunteered for aircrew,” smiles Jack, as he speaks to a reporter about how he first realised his love for aviation. “I thought, ‘If I am going to fight in a war, I may as well do it sitting down!’” he remarked. Jack has so much to celebrate. As he spends a memorable…
Jo Lamb
