Abortion buffer zones come into force today in England and Wales
From today, 150-metre radius 'safe access zones' will be put in place around abortion clinics in England and Wales, protecting the women who are looking to end their pregnancies, and the medical staff who work there.
These buffer zones will ban activity intending to influence or threaten women, or cause harassment, alarm, or distress, from taking place. This includes handing out leaflets, displaying signs and posters about abortion, and approaching and following women. Attempts to talk to women about their abortion choices and having a persistent presence that may involve prayer or singing can also be considered offences.
Legislation for these zones was passed under the Public Order Act 18 months ago after intense campaigning, but their implementation was delayed due to lengthy debates over whether quiet prayer should be allowed, and draft guidance was produced in the interim.
Safe access zones came into force in Scotland in September and have been in place in Northern Ireland for over a year, making the UK a leader in the protection of women seeking abortion care across Europe.
Heidi Stewart, CEO of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service who have campaigned intensely for this boundaries to be put in place, said: 'This is a huge day for women. For too long women have been harassed, intimidated, and abused going in to seek essential healthcare. They’ve been called murderers. They’ve had pamphlets shoved at them falsely claiming abortion causes breast cancer. And our staff are being threatened, abused and followed to their cars simply for doing their jobs.
'Today, all of that will come to an end. To anyone considering approaching abortion clinics with any form of malicious or intimidatory intent – do so at your own risk. There is no room for intimidation in abortion care.'
What behaviour constitutes an offence?
Under Section 9 of the Act, it is an offence for someone within the buffer zone to:
influence any person’s decision to access or facilitate abortion services at an abortion clinic
obstruct any person from accessing or facilitating abortion services at an abortion clinic
cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person in connection with a decision to access, provide or facilitate abortion services at an abortion clinic
Police and prosecutors will have to consider each case and its context individually, but they may also penalise silent prayer and holding vigils. However, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance states that a person carrying out activities within a zone such as silent prayer 'will not necessarily commit a criminal offence'.
Pro-choice activists have demanded that silent prayer be prohibited, suggesting that the sight of someone praying would still be distressing for a woman seeking a clinic's services.
Crime and Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said, 'Access to healthcare is a fundamental right. Access to abortion services is a matter of healthcare. I’m confident that the safeguards we have put in place today will have a genuine impact in helping women feel safer and empowered to access the vital services they need.'
Safeguarding Minister, Jess Phillips echoed her, commenting: 'Getting this measure up and running as soon as possible has been one of our priorities. The idea that any woman is made to feel unsafe or harassed for accessing health services, including abortion clinics, is sickening. This stops today.'
'It's quite an emotional moment really, because women have been fighting for years on this,' said Rupa Huq, a Labour MP, who campaigned for these changes and brought the original legislation to parliament, to Sky News. 'And in my own area from the 90s, I remember as a kid seeing the intimidation that went on. So it is high time.'
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