Buffer Zones

On Tuesday 28 May, MSP Gillian Mackay’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill reached the beginning of Stage 2.

SPUC has expressed deep disgust in the Scottish Parliament’s decision to pass stage one buffer zones legislation. SPUC has condemned this move as a concerning limitation on freedom of expression, speech and undermines the fundamental rights of individuals to assemble peacefully. The introducti

Over three-quarters of respondents to a consultation said they oppose buffer zones around abortion facilities in Scotland. SPUC has called on Scottish MSPs to respect the democratic will of the Scottish people.

The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has backed MSP Gillian Mackay’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill. SPUC has slammed the move as a betrayal of women in crisis pregnancies.

Cross-party MPs have called on the Home Office to protect the free speech of pro-life activists put on trial for allegedly breaching buffer zones around abortion facilities in England.

Bishop John Keenan has told a Holyrood committee on buffer zones that balancing human rights “shouldn’t mean that something which is a legitimate point of view should be made invisible”.

SPUC has told a Holyrood committee hearing evidence for and against buffer zones that such legislation is unnecessary and is based on a false assumption about pro-life vigils, and it would set an “alarming” precedent for freedom of thought and expression.

A retired medical scientist will be tried for breaching a “buffer zone” after holding a sign offering to talk to women outside an abortion facility in Bournemouth.

A representative for Police Scotland has told a Holyrood committee that laws already exist to deal with any criminal behavior outside abortion facilities, adding that it hasn’t identified any such crimes.

The French Parliament this week voted to make abortion a constitutional right, making it the first nation in the world to guarantee the right to kill unborn children up to 14 weeks.

A Holyrood health committee is currently hearing evidence for and against the implementation of buffer zones in Scotland, with SPUC due to appear later this month.

Half of mothers who have abortions say that the cost of childcare is the main reason for aborting a child, a devastating survey has found, warning that “We’re running out of babies”.

Roman Catholics in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland have voiced their strong opposition to the proposed imposition of buffer zones that would criminalise pro-life activity. “Religious freedom is under serious threat”, warned one Catholic group.