Election candidate defends abortion leaflet

Pauline Peachey is standing as an independent candidate for Hull North and Cottingham at the general election

A candidate standing in the general election has defended an anti-abortion leaflet depicting a baby in the womb, which was sent to households in Hull.

Pauline Peachey is standing as an independent for Hull North and Cottingham and wants to make abortion laws an election issue.

She said the leaflet, which had been delivered to potential voters, should not have "caused outrage".

A resident of the Kingswood area described the leaflet as "disgusting", while another said it was "inappropriate", but one voter thought it was an "important issue".

The 78-year-old candidate, who describes herself as "pro-life", said her experience of having an abortion herself led her to want to help other women.

She said the image on the leaflet was "just a picture of a baby developing in the womb" and questioned "what is outrageous about that?".

"The most recent stats show 250,000 [abortions] are happening a year. It shouldn't be a surprise that someone wants to make a stand and say we can't carry on like this," Ms Peachey added.

"What future have we got in the UK if we continue killing babies at this rate? It is brutal."

David Brown said he had been "disgusted" by the leaflet and said topics such as abortion were "irrelevant" to the election

David Brown, one of the Kingswood residents who received the leaflet, described it as "disgusting".

He said: "Why are we talking about this? It is not an election issue. This is life. I threw it in the bin".

Janie Spriggs, whose grandson is receiving hospital treatment, told the BBC that she thought the leaflet was "inappropriate".

"I looked and thought, what the hell is that? There's a time and a place to talk about things like this and not in a leaflet".

One resident added: "Every woman should have a choice. Getting a leaflet like that through your door is upsetting and traumatising for some people".

Priyanka said the leaflet did not upset her, but said she could understand why others found it offensive

But some people living in the area thought the leaflet had been thought-provoking.

Priyanka said: "I know some people would have felt bad seeing it, but people need to be aware of these issues.

"It didn't upset me but everyone has their own opinion.

"The leaflet didn't need to be so life-like, but I guess that's why they used it, to get a reaction."

According to official statistics published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, there were 251,377 abortions for women resident in England and Wales in 2022.

The 2024 General Election takes place on Thursday 4 July. The full list of candidates standing for the the Hull North and Cottingham constituency are:

• Martin Baker, Reform UK

• Ahmet Cinalp, Independent

• Rowan Halstead, The Yorkshire Party

• Kerry Harrison, Green

• Diana Johnson, Labour

• Pauline Peachey, Independent

• Callum Procter, Conservative

• Mike Whale, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

• Craig Woolmer, Liberal Democrat

You can use the BBC News lookup tool to find out which constituency you are in, who is standing as a candidate in your area and which polling station you can vote at.

The BBC also has a guide to manifestos, with a summary of where parties stand on issues most important to voters.

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