Haddon donates Curious Incident royalties to National Network of Abortion Funds

Mark Haddon is donating future US royalties of his novel The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time (Vintage) to the National Network of Abortion Funds until the Supreme Court’s overturning of the landmark Roe v Wade ruling is reversed.  

Royalties accrued from the US publication of the bestseller will be given to the charity, which aims to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access.

The author announced his decision on social media on 13th July. He told The Bookseller: "The overturning of Roe v Wade is not simply a tragedy for anyone who needs access to abortion — one which will hit people of colour and people with few financial resources particularly hard.

"It is one part of a wider judicial coup carried out by the Republican Party who have been doggedly undermining democracy while the Democrats play by the rules and place their trust in some nebulous ability the system supposedly has to right itself. I wanted to do more than loudly voice my opposition and I’m grateful that the sales of Curious Incident enable me to do that.

"So, all future US royalties I earn from sales of the book will go to the National Network of Abortion Funds until such a time as Roe v Wade is restored, or something equivalent happens."

He added if the Supreme Court "turns its fire" on the Griswold ruling on contraception, the Lawrence ruling on same-sex sexual activity and the Obergefell ruling on equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, he "may think about redirecting some the royalties to help people affected by those decisions".

Haddon has made a £10,000 donation to "get the ball rolling", and "as a statement of intent", he said on Twitter. 

"I think Mark’s gesture is characteristically generous and I hope that other writers might wish to follow his example," said his agent Clare Alexander of Aitken Alexander.