Lobbying

Please click here to visit the HFE bill section of our website for the latest lobbying information and guidance.

For the action requests sent by SPUC to its supporters, please see the lobbying alerts page. You can sign up to receive lobbying alerts and other information by email here. Current campaigns can be found among the subjects in the menu on the left. Lobbying campaigns are also promoted on the blog of John Smeaton, SPUC director.

In general, SPUC recommends lobbying parliamentarians by post rather than by email, because parliamentarians are more likely to read, take seriously and reply to postal letters. You do not need to be registered to vote to contact your Member of Parliament (MP), who represents everyone in his or her constituency.You can write to your MP at: House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. You can find out which constituency you are in, who your MP is and how to contact him/her by email by clicking here It is not usually worthwhile to write to any other MP than your own. Please write messages in your own words, and keep them brief and courteous.

You can write to Peers (members of the House of Lords) at: House of Lords, London SW1A 0PW (or by email here , where further guidance regarding writing to Peers can also be found).

Please remember always to forward any replies you receive from parliamentarians to Anthony Ozimic, SPUC political secretary

Why lobby? Well, one of the greatest philosophers, Aristotle, said that human beings naturally want to live together. Human beings are by nature political animals, because nature, which does nothing in vain, has given them speech, which enables them to communicate moral concepts which uphold the family and society, such as the sanctity and dignity of human life. Because we have a moral duty to change or prevent bad laws, political lobbying is not optional but essential. Some people shy away from supporting political lobbying for changes in the abortion law; but this battle must be fought. Other areas of pro-life activity are vital, but not sufficient on their own.

A modern example of historic witness to human dignity is William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was the Member of Parliament who led the campaign to abolish slavery and the slave trade in the British Empire. Wilberforce was opposed by powerful vested interests. Wilberforce could see clearly what others could not. He could see the responsibility of Parliament and its guilt in failing to end the evil practice of slavery. Wilberforce and his friends fought for a legislative ban on slavery. Would Wilberforce have done better by concentrating purely on educating the public, or by going to the West Indies to care for enslaved people? No. Education and caring work are essential elements of the pro-life response to abortion, but working in Parliament for just laws is essential too.