For 21-year-old John Alexander, opposition to abortion came before discovering faith.
As a teenager in Buckinghamshire, he often wondered why most of his peers supported access to abortion and was vocal about his own pro-life views on social media.
After the pandemic, John became more interested in Christianity. Though raised in the Church of England (CofE), he found it “dry” and felt that members were mostly “sitting in pews not doing much.” He was inspired by a young pastor at a Pentecostal church who addressed social issues, including abortion, more openly than CofE churches. Social media videos of street preachers also caught his attention.
At university, he joined the pro-life society and later became a follower of American right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.
“In the UK, people tend to be polite, so they avoid confronting abortion directly,” he said. “For those frustrated with the culture here, the US offers a model of vocal activism, and that can be inspiring.”
Last month, John attended the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children’s Youth Conference, which organizers say has grown steadily each year.
Analysts, charity leaders, and young activists told the BBC they have noticed a rise in British youth embracing anti-abortion activism, though no single cause explains the trend.
Some link it to opposition to the Crime and Policing Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, which will decriminalize abortion at all stages in England and Wales. Others point to a resurgence in religious interest, particularly Christianity and Catholicism.
A growing factor, however, is the influence of US anti-abortion groups. Many now have branches in the UK, and young British people like John have been inspired by American figures such as Charlie Kirk, who toured US college campuses promoting conservative views.
Kirk and Campus Politics
Pro-choice advocates say anti-abortion campaigning in the UK has evolved. Rachael Clarke, chief of staff at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), notes a shift:
“Before the 2000s, you might see a nun or priest quietly outside a clinic. But since about 2013, groups like 40 Days for Life have been protesting more visibly.”
Founded in Texas in 2004, 40 Days for Life has a growing presence in the UK, organizing shifts outside abortion clinics during Lent and autumn. Clarke says some young British people have become more interested in anti-abortion ideas due to these US groups, especially following the US Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Turning Point USA, a nonprofit promoting conservative politics in schools and universities, was founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk and launched a UK branch in 2018. Kirk was a vocal opponent of abortion, describing it as a “massacre worse than the Holocaust.”
John was particularly influenced by Kirk’s activism. “His videos are hard to escape,” he said. Following Kirk’s death at Utah Valley University last year, John shared a TikTok video titled “Charlie Kirk was a Christian Martyr”, which has nearly 35,000 views. Inspired, he now creates his own content, including a video called “Britons go to Church”, which has over 24,000 views, and established a Turning Point UK charter at Oxford University.
In October last year, ten UK anti-abortion groups created the Charlie Kirk Young Pro-Lifer prize, marking what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday. The inaugural winner was Inge-Maria Botha, 22, a University of Manchester undergraduate. Botha described the award as recognizing courage and action rather than complete ideological alignment with Kirk. She said a growing number of her peers are engaging with the anti-abortion movement, often motivated by rediscovering or deepening their Christian faith. (Agency)
