Two middle-aged men held signs outside a Glasgow clinic for sexual health, displaying bible verses that equate abortion to murder. One man appeared to be wearing a bodycam and filming anyone who entered.
Counter-protesters claim that their actions amount to harassment of Sandyford clinic staff and patients. They also contributed to the creation of a buffer zone to stop protests and vigils surrounding clinics providing abortion services in Scotland.
Supporters say it will de-escalate a often fractious atmosphere that is intimidating to patients. While opponents say it restricts their freedom of speech.
“At Sandyford the boundary of the building lies right on the pavement. So it’s not like campus hospitals where protesters might be kept away,” explained the author. Gillian MackayThe bill was introduced by a member of the Scottish Parliament, the Greens. It creates buffer zones to keep protesters away from abortion clinics.
She told Euronews that protesters were outside the front door, accompanied by a loud hailer. Clinicians are being forced to move services to the front of the building because of the noise.
Sandyford, like many other sexual health clinics offers abortion services, but also offers STI screenings and counselling for sexual assault survivors and family planning services.
There are concerns that protesters who specifically target women who go inside for an abortion may also intimidate other patients.
Political and professional support of the buffer zones
The final stages of public consultation for the new buffer zone bill are underway this week. More than 5,000 comments have already been received “overwhelmingly supportive” Mackay told Euronews.
The initiative has received a wide support from the Scottish parliament, bringing together unlikely political allies to support Mackay’s proposal.
There are also hopes that the bill will only be voted on in Holyrood.
“It’s not really about winning the issue. This is something I think is supported by most parts of progressive Scottish society. Mackay stated that the issue has been settled and that it is now about how to make sure that the bill is strong.
Lawmakers and campaigners have been working closely with groups that could be negatively affected by a “no-protest zone”, including the Scottish trade unions umbrella group and the local authority umbrella, to ensure their rights are not violated. For example, it is not illegal to have a picketline outside a building in cases of industrial action.
The bill is supported by the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners, as well as youth councils and city councils of Aberdeen and Glasgow.
There is widespread support in Scotland for buffer zones. 68% of Scots are in favor, and only 8% oppose it. According to a recent poll.
Nicola Sturgeon’s summits’ on abortion access
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, held a summit in June on abortion care in Scotland. She stated that “no one should ever be prevented from seeking the services to which they are entitled.”
This meeting took place just days after the US Supreme Court. Roe v Wade ruling was overturnedThis law ended the constitutional right to abortion in America. Sturgeon called it “catastrophic, horrific” and “one my darkest days for women’s rights in my life”.
Another summit at End of AugustThe council will examine ways that local councils can do more for women who visit sexual health clinics before any buffer zone laws come into effect.
“The Scottish Government is committed to introducing buffer zones as quickly as is practicable. Euronews spoke with a spokesperson who stated that women should be able access abortion services without fear or intimidation.
“We have committed to convene further discussions with local government on how best to make progress to protect patient rights and look at using bylaws to establish buffer zones.”
Who are the anti abortion protesters?
It’s not true that anti-abortion activists target every clinic in Scotland, but Sandyford in Glasgow has become a focal point for protesters. There is increasing concern about their “Americanization”.
Texas-based 40 Days of LifeAs the president of the group, the organisation already has plans to hold a protest for several weeks outside a clinic in Edinburgh, Scotland in September. Shawn Carney said this weekend that Scotland was “dying to live in the stone ages of biology, science, and free speech”.
He wrote on Twitter, “It’s why the pro-life campaign is winning at home as well as abroad,”
Carney’s organization works with an evangelical law firm called ADF InternationalScotch media interviewed Lois McLatchie, the London spokesperson for the company, to discuss the buffer zones. She stated that they “ban legitimate offers and prayers of help”
McLatchie: “Women have a right to hear about these choices at the point where they need them and it is patronising to the government that women don’t want to hear this.” BBC ScotlandIn a recent interview.
ADF boasts that they “engage at the highest levels of law and governance” at the European Union, Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, but the Southern Poverty Law Centre which monitors extremism in the USA, has ADF was branded a “hate organization” and documented a laundry list of times ADF has campaigned against rights for sexual and gender minorities.
MSP Gillian Mackay said, “What we’ve seen in Sandyford shows that it isn’t silent prayer.” “And we have seen up to 100 people outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Glasgow. It’s intimidation.”
Grace Brownie, Society for the Protection of Unborn Children SPUCScotland disagrees with this statement and claims that most “pro-life vigils” are “passive” and peaceful in nature, so buffer zones are not necessary.
“I don’t believe there is harassment or intimidation of patients or staff outside of facilities or clinics. She tells Euronews that she lives in Glasgow, close to the hospital where the pro-life vigil is held. “I think there’s a lot misrepresentation of what the vigil looks and what it does.”
SPUC wants their actions, which are presented as a “vigil”, to be viewed differently from some of the more violent and radical “protests”, which have occurred.
“What we do isn’t a protest. It’s a peaceful community-based gathering to offer support to vulnerable women and offer a last line of support.”
“Abortion coercion in Scotland is a problem,” she says. She claims that women tell her organization that they are being pressured into having an abort.
SPUC believes that the Scottish authorities have enough laws in place to deal effectively with harassment and intimidation. This is something most politicians, medical organizations and the majority of the Scottish population disagree with.
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