Britain bans protests outside abortion clinics but silent prayer is a gray area

LONDON — Protest ban outside in England abortion The clinics came into force on Thursday, but that left a question mark over whether anti-abortion demonstrators praying silently would be breaking the law.

The law in England and Wales bans protests within 150 meters (164 yards) of clinics. Scotland and Northern Ireland, which set their own health policies, have also recently implemented similar bans.

The new rules make it an offense to prevent a person from using abortion services, “intentionally or recklessly” influence their decisions, or cause “harassment, alarm or distress”. Offenders will face an unlimited fine.

The buffer zone rule was adopted 18 months ago as part of the previous Conservative government. Public Order ActHowever, debates over whether it would apply to silent prayer protests and a change of government in July delayed the law’s entry into force.

The Crown Prosecution Service said praying silently near an abortion clinic “will not necessarily constitute a criminal offence” and that police will consider each case on a case-by-case basis.

Anti-abortion campaigners and religious groups argue that banning silent prayer protests would be an affront to religious freedom. But pro-abortion campaigners say silent anti-abortion demonstrators often intimidate women entering clinics.

“It’s hard to see how someone who chooses to offer their prayers right outside an abortion clinic can claim they’re not trying to impress people – and there are countless testimonies from women saying this made them feel distressed,” UK president Louise McCudden said. He is head of external affairs for MSI Reproductive Choices, one of Britain’s largest abortion providers.

In March 2023, lawmakers rejected an amendment proposed by some conservative legislators that would explicitly allow silent prayer in buffer zones. The final rules are a potentially complex compromise that will likely be tested in court.

Crime and Policing Minister Diana Johnson said she was “confident that the measures we are introducing today will have a real impact in helping women feel safer and more empowered to access the vital services they need.”

But Bishop John Sherrington, of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said the government had taken an “unnecessary and disproportionate step back” on religious freedom.

“Religious freedom includes the right to publicly manifest one’s private beliefs through testimony, prayer, and charitable giving, including outside abortion facilities,” he said.

Abortion is not as divisive an issue in the UK as it is in the US, where women’s access to abortion has been rolled back and banned in some states, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling. The landmark Roe v. Wade overturns his case The decision will be made in 2022.

Abortion in the UK was partially legalized by the Abortion Act 1967; This law allows abortion up to 24 weeks with the approval of two doctors. Abortion is then allowed in some cases, including if the mother’s life is in danger.

However, in England and Wales, women who have an abortion after 24 weeks can be prosecuted under the Offenses Against the Person Act 1861. Last year, a 45-year-old woman in England sentenced to 28 months in prison For ordering abortion pills online to induce a miscarriage when she was 32 to 34 weeks pregnant. Following an outcry, his sentence was reduced.