The UK Supreme Court has today upheld the ban on protests outside medical facilities providing abortion services in Northern Ireland.
Laws on buffer zones mean it will become illegal for pro-life activists to stage demonstrations within a 100m vicinity of abortion clinics. The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Northern Ireland Bill was found to have no disproportionate interference with the rights of protestors, who argued it stripped them of freedom of expression, religion and assembly.
The legislation is thought to set a vital precedent for a proposed safe access zones bill in Scotland, which is currently making its way through Holyrood. MSP Gillian Mackay, who introduced the bid to Scotland, hailed the highest UK court's ruling as a 'truly historic day' for reproductive rights.
