Women using abortion clinics in England and Wales are finally being protected... up to a point
As of 31 October, buffer zones are now officially in force around abortion clinics in England and Wales – finally protecting women exercising their right to choose from harassment. Similar legislation in Scotland came into force a week earlier, and in Northern Ireland last year.
Protests outside abortion clinics are more commonly associated with the US but they are also a problem here in the UK. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service said recent incidents had included dozens of activists standing outside a clinic for hours, protesters displaying graphic images of foetuses and Bible verses outside a hospital, and one man staging a protest in the waiting room of a clinic.
The new law makes it illegal to try to influence patients within a 150-metre radius around clinics, or to obstruct anyone from entering, with the possibility of an unlimited fine for those who break the rules. In England and Wales, the safe zones had already entered law in May 2023 but the then Conservative government postponed enforcement while it drafted guidance that would grant religious exemptions, including permitting “silent prayer” outside clinics. In the meantime, clinics were left unprotected. Under new guidance issued to police under Labour, silent prayer will be dealt with on a “case-by-case basis”.
Some Christian groups have framed this as thought policing and a breach of the right to religious freedom. But these objections must be balanced against the patients’ right to privacy and protection from harassment. It is a relief that after years of women enduring distress at the hands of protesters for nothing more than accessing the healthcare to which they are legally entitled, this protection is finally being enforced.
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