Rose Docherty, a 75-year-old woman, has been arrested for a second time after standing quietly outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow with a placard offering conversation.
Mrs Docherty was detained on Hardgate Road on Wednesday. She carried a sign that read: “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.” She was charged and released on bail under the Safe Access Zones law, which has made prayer, offers of support, and even “silent vigils” illegal near abortion facilities in Scotland.
This is not Mrs Docherty’s first arrest. In February she was charged under the same law but was only issued with a warning. Her case illustrates the new reality in Scotland where, for the first time, people are being criminalised simply for offering conversation in public.
Speaking after her arrest she said: “Everybody has the right to engage in consensual conversation. I held my sign with love and compassion, inviting anyone who wants to chat, to do so – and stood peacefully, not approaching anyone. I should not be treated as a criminal for inviting people to chat with me – lending a listening ear. Conversation is not forbidden on the streets of Glasgow, and yet this is the second time I have been arrested for doing just that.”
Police Scotland confirmed her arrest in a statement: “Officers attended and a 75-year-old woman was arrested and charged in connection with a breach of the Safe Access Zone legislation.”
US officials in the Trump White House have condemned the arrest as “tyrannical,” adding it to a growing list of concerns the American administration have about civil liberties in the United Kingdom.
The so-called ‘safe access’ law was championed by Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay, who has this week made clear her intention to further liberalise abortion law in Scotland. SPUC are worried that the silencing of pro-life views combined with an erosion of current abortion regulations will endanger more women and unborn children in Scotland.
Doctors working at the hospital told BBC Scotland they regard pro-life presence outside as upsetting and intimidating. Pro-life supporters, however, point out that Mrs Docherty neither shouted slogans nor blocked access. Her case, they argue, shows that the legislation punishes peaceful acts of compassion rather than addressing genuine harassment.
Mrs Docherty has said before that she is prepared to go to prison if necessary. For her, the issue is not politics but humanity. Her witness raises serious questions about freedom of speech, conscience, and assembly in Scotland.
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