From calling women ‘murderers’ to displaying graphic images of foetuses, sprinkling sites with holy water, and singing hymns through loudspeakers, anti-abortion protesters target around 100,000 women at clinics and hospitals each year, causing them ‘significant distress’ at a time they need help, according to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.
But thankfully, harassing women at abortion clinics should soon become a criminal offence after MPs have backed legislation on Tuesday to create 150-meter buffer zones around clinics and hospitals in England and Wales to protect those seeking treatment.
Under the proposed law, if protesters are found guilty of obstructing or interfering with women attending abortion clinics within the zones, they could face up to six months in jail. This includes intimidation, persistent occupation of the area and interference with those accessing or providing abortion care.
According to the new bill proposal, protesters have routinely handed out leaflets that contain misinformation including that abortions cause breast cancer.
‘This anti-abortion activity has a clinical impact as well as an emotional and psychological one,’ the proposal explained. ‘In some cases, women defer their treatment rather than risk facing harassment, or purchase abortion pills online from unregulated providers.’
Before the law change was backed by MPs, police and local authorities have previously applied to set up protection zones when there are complaints of harassment outside clinics and hospitals, but these can be challenged and reversed by anti-abortion protestors.
Speaking to women who had visited an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, supporters of the new bill were told by one: ‘[Protestors] came over twice and we said, “no thank you”. She was very pushy, in your face... it has left me anxious as I suffer from poor mental health. When we walked past, she said “Your baby wants to live”. We had driven for 7.5 hours and did not expect this at all.’
MPs this week were given a free vote on the amendment and voted 297 to 110 in favour of the government’s public order bill.
‘Today’s vote is a victory for campaigners like Sister Supporter, women and MPs across Parliament – especially Rupa Huq MP – who have fought for years for these vital protections,’ said MP Stella Creasy. ‘With evidence hundreds of thousands of women every year are hassled, it’s right we have a national solution for a national problem,’ she continued. ‘It’s for them we have acted so that they can access an abortion without having to run the gauntlet of protestors to seek healthcare.
‘Ministers need to act swiftly to ensure this change is implemented,’ she added. ‘And guidance published to ensure that every woman is able to enjoy the protections which have been won today.’