About us

The Body Politic – Who are we?

The Body Politic is a collaboration between Alliance for Choice and the Open University. We are funded by Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. 

Alliance for Choice

Alliance for Choice are a grassroots feminist collective who campaign for abortion rights, access, and justice. We were critical to the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland in October 2019. We are the women and pregnant people who have been denied abortion access and continue to be denied the full rights we were promised. We do what we do because we believe in the fundamental right to bodily autonomy for all who need abortion healthcare, and anyone denied reproductive justice. 

Our activities include direct support and guidance for women and pregnant people in need of abortion healthcare – in particular those experiencing barriers, providing education workshops to organisations and communities, advocacy for abortion and reproductive rights at governmental, institutional and societal level, providing fact based research on reproductive rights, engaging with media and civic society, involvement in reproductive justice events and providing an alternative narrative to a well-funded anti-choice lobby, who continue to press for reversal of the current legislation and operate ‘clinics’ in (NI). 

The Open University

The Open University (OU) was founded with the mission to open higher education to all, regardless of background, and operates across the four UK nations and in the Republic of Ireland. We combine academic research with community-based expertise and knowledge to generate education at scale, through pedagogic innovation and strategic partnerships. Our freely accessible educational platform OpenLearn  has reached over 100 million people online. The Reproduction, Sexualities and Sexual Health Group at the OU specialises in co-creating learning around sexualities, reproduction, rights and justice based on rigorous research and community expertise, inc. the award-winning My Body, My Life, professional guidance on sexual and reproductive health and rights for people with disabilities and resources for people living with HIV including award-winning collaborations with the BBC.  Internationally we have produced learning materials around sexuality education in India, training materials for global sexual and reproductive rights actors, development work with LGBT+ grassroots organisations in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan and learning materials for marginalised communities in Uganda. We have a long record of work in NI, including work on minority mental health and suicide, LGBT rights and several of our members have given expert testimony at Stormont on sexual and reproductive rights matters.

What is The Body Politic ?

The Body Politic is a free online community resource. In the ‘hedge school’ pluralist tradition of taking education into our own hands and learning from each other and our collective activism, we have created a digital learning hub comprising a collection of interactive multimedia resources which anyone can use or even help co-create. 

As abortion and reproductive control and coercion has been the focus of enormous feminist activism across Ireland, The Body Politic, has drawn on the experiences of abortion activists within a broader reproductive justice framework to generate learning, understanding and solidarity. Our aim is for The Body Politic to be a space which nurtures liberation at the intersections and a tool of resistance, which counters institutional patriarchy and the harmful advancement of far-right conservative ideology in all aspects of society, including reproductive rights and freedoms. 

The Body Politic is a learning engine and an intersectional feminist space. The NI abortion campaign took place in (post) conflict conditions in a region experiencing profound inequality. It gave rise to unique perspectives on abortion, linking it to other social justice issues such as worker’s rights, LGBTQ plus rights, immigration rights, race, colonialism, and faith. We believe that whilst the systems of oppression are intertwined, our liberation can also be sought out at the intersections through community, collectivism, and solidarity. 

Collectivism is our superpower and The Body Politic would love to hear from you. This is a genuine community space and to exist and grow, we need contributors. Maybe you have written an article or a journal. Maybe you have conducted some research on reproductive justice. Maybe you have put together an activity that promotes understanding around intersectionality. Maybe you can suggest a podcast, interview or short film that could be hosted on The Body Politic. 

If you would like to get in touch, drop an email & brief explainer on your contribution to Alliance for Choice:  alliancechoice4@gmail.com.