The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) held a protest today at Holyrood against Scotland’s “illiberal” buffer zones law, which came into effect on the same day. The peaceful event saw a large turnout and media coverage.
On 24 September, pro-life men and women gathered outside the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood to demonstrate against MSP Gillian Mackay’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill.
The protest was organised by SPUC, which has slammed the bill as “illiberal” and “an affront to basic freedoms in Scotland”.
The new law, which is effective from today, imposes a “buffer zone” of 200m around abortion facilities in Scotland. All pro-life activity, even silent prayer, which is said to “influence” women attending the facility is outlawed within the zone.
The zones will be enforced with fines of £10,000 or more.
The protest in Edinburgh was attended by supporters, some dressed in orange prison jumpsuits, brandishing signs outlining their so-called "crimes" as defined by the new law, including peacefully praying and offering help to women in crisis pregnancies
The press, including STV, also attended the high-profile demonstration.
John Mason, the only MSP to vote against buffer zone legislation, addressed the crowd of 50 people. Later, several demonstrators had the opportunity to speak with their respective MSPs.
Speaking to the crowd, SPUC’s Michael Robinson shared the story of Amy who had an abortion but wished there had been a pro-life vigil outside to offer life-saving help.
“To remove people from praying outside clinics, just isolates women who are having a crisis”, Amy says. “That might be the only opportunity they had to speak to anyone who could offer them real counselling. And that is the last step before it is too late.”
SPUC stands up for freedom
SPUC CEO John Deighan said: “Today’s buffer zone legislation is an affront to basic freedoms in Scotland. The fact that someone can be criminalised for praying or offering help to a woman in need is an outrageous and dangerous precedent. SPUC is here to ensure that this sweeping attack on civil liberties does not go unnoticed.
“By outlawing peaceful pro-life activity around abortion facilities, buffer zone legislation denies desperate women a final way out of abortion, and many of these women feel pressured into abortion, sometimes by partners, family or financial circumstances.
“Ultimately, buffer zones only protect the abortion industry, not the women and unborn children who pass through its gates.
“As well as outlawing compassion, buffer zones set a terrible precedent, breaching fundamental rights to free speech and freedom of religion. In England, buffer zones have already led to the arrests of persons silently praying outside abortion facilities.
“Buffer zones have introduced thoughtcrime into Scottish society, SPUC will stand up to this assault on our freedoms.”
No justification for buffer zones
Buffer zones were approved by 118 MSP votes to one on 12 June, despite no crime ever being identified with any pro-life presence outside abortion facilities in Scotland.
Research commissioned by the Scottish Government also found no instances of abuse or criminality, observing that pro-life activity was “consistent with the concept of an abortion vigil, rather than a protest”.
While SPUC does not participate in or organise prayer vigils or pro-life activity outside abortion facilities, it defends the right of citizens to offer help and moral support to women in crisis pregnancies.
At a Holyrood committee hearing into buffer zones earlier this year, SPUC’s Margaret Akers explained that such vigils offer women a way out of abortion:
“A great number of the women I work with do not feel that they were properly counselled at a clinical level ahead of their abortion, and do not feel they were given all of the information in order to make an informed choice.”
A similar buffer zones law for England and Wales comes into force on 31 October.