David Steel

David Steel nominated by Lisa Hallgarten

I would like to nominate David Steel to be a Champion of Choice because it was his private members bill that finally gave women in the UK access to safe, legal abortion. The 1967 Abortion Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation to address a public health issue. Before the 1967 Act up to 40 women a year died from illegal, unsafe abortion and countless more were injured at the hands of backstreet abortionists, or trying to self-abort. The generation of doctors and activists Steel worked with to draft this bill knew all too well the terror women lived with of getting pregnant, and the horrors of the backstreets. Nearly 50 years on we must keep those memories alive as we continue to campaign for free, safe, legal, accessible abortion.