Abortion providers have welcomed the introduction of buffer zones outside clinics in England and Wales as a “milestone moment”.
Buffer zones will be implemented outside abortion clinics from Thursday to stop women seeking abortions from being harassed by protesters, with it becoming illegal to influence, harass or provoke those using or delivering pregnancy termination services.
The new laws will apply to a 150-metre radius of the abortion service provider, and those who infringe the new rules will face an unlimited fine.
It comes after healthcare providers told The Independent that anti-abortion activists are ramping up protests outside clinics in the wake of the previous government’s failure to introduce “buffer zones” outside abortion clinics.
MPs voted in favour of nationwide buffer zones outside abortion clinics in England and Wales in October 2022 but the Home Office under the previous Tory government failed to roll them out.
Rachael Clarke, of British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), a leading UK abortion provider, welcomed the introduction of buffer zones as she explained they had started campaigning for this a decade ago.
“It is great we have finally got to this point,” she added. “It has taken longer than anyone thought it would.”
Ms Clarke warned women seeking abortions who encounter protesters outside clinics are often “incredibly distressed” once they arrive inside.
It made me feel judged. It felt like it was an invasion of my privacy. It was haunting
She said: “There are still clinics around the country that have daily or weekly protests. These have not stopped since parliament passed the law. The clinic staff have been waiting for over a year for the law to be enforced. For a lot of them it has been really difficult.
“For them, this is a really big step forward. We have had women having panic attacks and women crying. All of this is really bad for the women and also for staff, as they are having to spend time unpicking what has been done outside by people who oppose abortion.”
Ms Clarke explained they were very concerned about draft guidance the previous government released on buffer zones as she raised concerns it would have left many abortion clinics exposed.
At the beginning of the year, the Tory government was accused of diluting guidance for buffer zones outside abortion clinics after it surfaced that anti-abortion activists could still be permitted to conduct silent prayers and speak to those accessing abortion clinics.
Beth Redmond, operations service manager at a clinic in Manchester run by leading abortion provider MSI Reproductive Choices, told The Independent she was confronted by anti-abortion activists when she had an abortion at the age of 19 in 2011.
“They were trying to hand me a leaflet which I didn’t take,” she recalled. “There was a doll that was made up to be a foetus. I’m 31 now and it has stuck with me for such a long time. It made me feel judged. It felt like it was an invasion of my privacy. It was haunting.”
Louise McCudden, who also works for MSI Reproductive Choices, said: “As anti-choice campaigners around the world escalate their tactics, trying to manipulate women with misinformation, this step from the UK government marks a milestone moment and sends a powerful message that they stand with women and girls.”
Earlier in the year, Olivia Home, who manages one of MSI Reproductive Choices’ abortion clinics in central London, told The Independent that anti-abortion demonstrators harass women seeking abortions – with some followed and pestered as they walk to the train station after treatment.
She added: “They shout insults at women and people, they either shout ‘murderer’, ‘baby killer’ or anything along those lines. They hand out leaflets and rosary beads and the leaflets may contain graphic and quite offensive imagery.
“They also hand out baby toys whose limbs have been removed which are covered in fake blood. They sometimes spit from their mouths at clients or healthcare professionals or they splash holy water at them.”
