The government has admitted that abortion clinic buffer zones are incompatible with human rights laws – less than a week after an amendment to the Public Order Bill was approved that would introduce buffer zones.
The new Clause 9 – which establishes buffer zones (‘designated areas’) around abortion clinics where it would be an offence to interfere with people accessing or providing abortion services – will likely now have to be redrafted in terms that are compatible with human rights law.
Catherine Robinson of Right to Life UK said Clause 9 should be ‘thrown out’ and not redrafted. She added: ‘Censorship zones are direct viewpoint discrimination which deny women in need an alternative to abortion. As has been pointed out many times, there are laws in place to prevent harassment and intimidation and these should be enforced if and when necessary.’
However, the government is not legally prevented from imposing buffer zones, notwithstanding the declaration of incompatibility.
The new Minister for Women, Maria Caulfield MP, voted against the amendment. She is a practicing Roman Catholic; has consistently opposed abortion buffer zones; and voted against relaxing abortion time limits. She is a former officer of the All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group. Her stance has brought her persistent criticism in The Guardian which has run a number of negative stories about her, quoting pro-abortion groups.
In Northern Ireland, the SPUC is going to the Court of Appeal to challenge legislation that would enable the introduction of full abortion services in the province.
