The Government has announced when buffer zones will be enforced around abortion clinics in England and Wales. Section 9 of the Public Order Act will be in force from the 31 October 2024.
Minister Jess Phillips said: “The right to access abortion services is a fundamental right for women in this country, and no-one should feel unsafe when they seek to access this.
“We will not sit back and tolerate harassment, abuse and intimidation as people exercise their legal right to healthcare."
This follows on from the Scottish Government's announcement that the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill would come into force next week.
The Government’s press release continues:
“Anyone found guilty of breaking the law will face an unlimited fine. The College of Policing and Crown Prosecution Service will publish guidance for police and prosecutors ahead of 31 October, to ensure there is clarity and consistency with the enforcement of the new offence.”
“Thoughtcrime” is fast becoming a chilling reality in the UK
Buffer zones in England and Wales were approved by MPs in 2023, despite a Home Office review concluding in 2018 that “aggressive activities” by pro-lifers around abortion facilities were “not the norm”. Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary at the time, concluded that “introducing national buffer zones would not be a proportionate response”.
Recently, several pro-life individuals have been arrested for praying silently outside abortion facilities in England, most notably Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who was arrested twice, as well as Adam Smith-Connor, an Afghanistan veteran, who still awaits trial for praying for his dead son within a buffer zone in Bournemouth.
Smith-Connor, speaking later, said: “Here I stand before you on the steps of Poole Magistrates Court being prosecuted – for a thoughtcrime… I did not approach anyone, I did not speak to anyone, I did not breach anyone’s privacy. I simply stood silently. I am being tried for the prayerful thoughts I held in my head.”
A dark day for democracy
Alithea Williams, SPUC’s Public Policy Manager said: “This is a dark day for democracy in this country. From 31st October, it will be a crime to pray against abortion, to offer women help, and, ludicrously, to attempt to “influence” someone on abortion within 150m of facilities that carry out abortions.
“Worryingly, this announcement has been made before the guidance has been published. While the guidance produced by the last Government was a reasonably liberal interpretation of the law, the rhetoric from Jess Phillips is not encouraging.
“The shameless pro-abortion lobby continues to lie about the nature and practice of pro-life vigils, where selfless individuals offer help, moral support and real choice to women in crisis pregnancies.
“There is no “fundamental right” to abortion, whatever Ms Phillips might say, and there is nothing “pro-choice” about denying help to pregnant women.
“Various studies, including a Home Office report, have found no evidence of harassment of women outside abortion facilities. Rather, it is pro-life men and women who have been harassed and threatened with fines or prison time in recent months.
“If illiberal and censorious buffer zones are enforced, Britain’s tradition of democracy and liberty will be forever compromised in order to satisfy the whim of a vocal minority of extremists determined to have more abortion and less free speech."
Children are alive today because of pro-life vigils
Buffer zones are not just an outrageous assault on civil liberties, it removes a real lifeline for women,” Miss Williams continued. “Many children are alive today because their mother received help and support from a compassionate pro-life person outside a clinic. Many women feel pressured or coerced into having an abortion, and pro-life vigils give them options. Now their choices have been taken away.
“SPUC will be updating you on its response to this announcement in due course. In the meantime, please use our MP tool to write to your MP.”