The outspoken
To celebrate the Guardian's 200th birthday, we profile people whose personal experiences have led to extraordinary and courageous campaigning
‘I became the abortion lady of Mississippi’: the mother of seven who devoted her life to the pro-choice cause
Raised a fundamentalist Christian, Laurie Bertram Roberts grew up believing abortion was evil. Then a pregnancy put her life at risk – and she was denied the termination she desperately needed
‘As a cancer survivor you’re expected to feel grateful’: Laura Fulcher’s campaign for better care
She had agonising symptoms for 15 months before she was finally diagnosed with bowel cancer, then received little support after her treatment. So Fulcher set up a charity to help cancer survivors and to campaign for faster diagnoses
‘This is the best legacy my mum could have’: the man changing lives after his mother’s stroke
When Eleanor Ede died from a stroke at just 65, her son Nick was devastated – and shocked that he knew so little about the condition. Since then, he has devoted his life to raising awareness and breaking the stigma
‘When you stop fighting, that’s when you start grieving’: the parents battling to prevent student suicide
In the four years since their daughter killed herself at university, Robert and Margaret Abrahart have been trying to understand why she was left to cope with her problems alone – and to help other vulnerable young people
‘I don’t want what happened to my husband happening to anyone else’: the widow campaigning for gambling law reform
It was only after Annie Ashton’s husband Luke took his own life that she realised he had been gambling in secret – sometimes up to 100 times a day on his phone. She wants urgent changes to the way the betting industry operates
‘For five years, I could barely speak’: the skin health campaigner who overcame bullying for severe acne
At school, Scott McGlynn suffered so much abuse for his spots that he would hide away in classrooms at lunchtime. Now, he is a successful podcaster and encourages people to talk openly about the condition on social media
‘Snoop Dogg is advertising Just Eat, but it is me that has to deliver it’: the courier leading the UK’s longest gig-economy strike
Since December, Parirs Dixon has been organising fellow couriers to picket popular takeaways in Sheffield in an effort to improve pay. Now the industrial action is spreading to other cities
‘A nun called me a destroyer of lives’: how adoption rights activist Susan Lohan fought the Irish establishment
Adopted as a baby, denied any information about her natural parents, Lohan has spent years fighting for the church and state to reveal what they know – about her and the thousands of others in the same position
‘I was hungry – and it was terrifying’: How Sinéad Browne overcame the odds and set up her own food charity
After a childhood in care, Browne found herself at 16 with no money and often nothing to eat. But she defied expectations to become a lawyer and now runs her own venture to combat food poverty and waste
The doctor who was told her illness was ‘all in her head’ – and is transforming the treatment of her rare genetic condition
For 20 years, Alissa Zingman suffered painful symptoms that were dismissed by fellow doctors. Then she was warned there was little chance of improvement. Now her pioneering clinic offers hope to those with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
‘Admirals would say: we don’t want to serve with these people’ – Craig Jones, the sailor who came out and changed the navy
The ban on gay people serving in the military meant the lieutenant commander spent a decade fearing imprisonment. As soon as it was lifted he insisted on speaking out – whatever the cost
