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Hackney Abortion Campaign

History

Hackney Abortion Campaign (HAC) fought for the right of women to choose if and when she has a child. They campaigned against forced sterilisation, called for freely available contraception, and for abortions to be available locally on the NHS.

In 1977 Hackney Council arranged for housing for homeless young pregnant women to be provided by ‘Let Live’, an anti-abortion charity that had been found to give biased advice. The HAC gathered around 150 people to protest outside council meetings, and the council overturned their decision.

When in 1977 William Benyon introduced a bill to amend the Abortion Act, HAC campaigned against it and picketed outside the MP’s London home. After eight months of public debate the bill was defeated.

Papers relating to the Hackney Abortion Campaign are held by Hackney Archives (Reference - D/F/SMU/1).