Aim Our aim is to reduce abortion.

Activities Real Choice holds debates and talks on "life" issues and uses the lessons learned to shape the abortion debate.

What we have learned? The abortion debate is in stalemate. Pro-choicers proclaim women’s rights, yet it seems that it is often a lack of rights that force women into abortion. Pro-lifers focus on the unborn child’s right to life yet the number of abortions continues to rise.

Despite this difference of opinion, pro-life people like ourselves are very keen to get a good deal for women and when we speak to pro-choice people, we don’t find that they hold the lives of unborn children in disregard.

Our perception is that most ordinary pro-choicers have compassion for women in difficult situations. They feel it would be wrong to deny them a way out in their hour of need. In short, they support abortion only as a necessary evil. It is this view and not some ethereal right to choose that underpins most public thinking on abortion.

This may explain why current pro-life strategy is ineffective. People already understand what abortion is about. Explaining it in detail is seen as distasteful and only serves to undermine any chance of debate.

We wonder if a better approach may be to focus on our main area of agreement: that women and children should be able to lead happy and fulfilling lives. We suspect that for many women, relatively small and simple improvements may be enough to swing the balance away from abortion. We see no reason why pro-lifers and pro-choicers shouldn’t work together for a better deal for pregnant women and the parents of young children.

What we have done We have conducted a survey of women who have had an abortion. We asked them what made them choose abortion and about their feelings about the whole experience.

We have produced a list of suggestions for improving conditions for pregnant women and the parents of young children – so they can have a real choice.

Membership is open to anyone who wants to reduce abortion. Real Choice welcomes people of any or no religion. There is no membership fee.