Moves to ban anti-abortion protesters backed by council Buffer zone could be created around clinic to stop women being ‘targeted’
ANTI-ABORTION campaigners could be banned from holding vigils and approaching women outside a Birmingham clinic.
City councillors have backed a motion which could lead to a buffer zone being introduced outside the Marie Stopes clinic in Edgbaston.
The motion, which was put forward by councillors Paulette Hamilton and Jayne Francis at the authority’s latest full council meeting, follows in the footsteps of similar proposals by councils in Ealing, Portsmouth and Southwark.
The Home Office has ordered a review into harassment and intimidation near abortion clinics.
Speaking to the Birmingham Post in October, Councillor Hamilton said restrictions had not been raised formally with the authority at that stage but she “very much” supported the position Ealing Council had taken.
Her joint motion said there were “growing concerns” about the harassment of women attending the Marie Stopes centre in Arthur Road, with women seeking pregnancy terminations being targeted by pro-life protesters.
The motion called it “street harassment” and a “form of sexism against women”.
It added: “The number of women who decide to continue their pregnancy after contacting an abortion clinic does not change whether or not there are anti-abortion activists outside.
“The council acknowledges those with deeply held beliefs will continue to campaign against abortion.
“However, it is inappropriate to further this debate by targeting women outside healthcare providers.
“The right to protest must be balanced with the right of pregnant women to choose and to obtain advice and treatment in confidence and free from intimidation.”
It is 50 years since the 1967 Abortion Act was introduced in the UK.
40 Days for Life is a Christian cam- paign body founded in Texas with groups across the world. Its mission is to “show local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighbourhoods, for their own friends and families”.
Its Birmingham branch has held protests for seven years and last month finished its second 40-day vigil of 2017 outside the Marie Stopes clinic in Edgbaston. Its next will start on Valentine’s Day 2018.
In response to the council’s motion, campaign director for Birmingham Isabel Vaughan-Spruce said: “I was saddened but not surprised those pushing this motion in the council didn’t bother to contact a single member of the 40 Days for Life team or witness a vigil before making their uninformed decision.
“Paulette Hamilton’s speech was full of false information from start to finish, implying that someone dress- es up as a priest, who is not a priest, and stands at the abortion centre throwing holy water at women and that volunteers have physically prevented women from entering. There is a camera trained on the entrance to Marie Stopes so why is evidence never provided for these inflammatory statements?
“Edgbaston councillor Deirdre Alden described in a more accurate way how a vigil is run and also spoke of the lack of complaints she received from residents in her 18 years as a councillor.
“Passers-by have stopped recently to give statements of support to those praying outside the abortion centre as well as those who have had abortions there.”
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, a charity which sees more than 70,000 women a year and provides reproductive healthcare services, said in a statement : “We are very pleased Birmingham City Council has taken this important decision to protect women as they exercise their legal right to healthcare. This is not about shutting down the debate on abortion but about ensuring the women who use these services are able to receive advice and treatment without interference and in confidence.” Existing laws already provide protection against harassment and intimidation and the police have a range of powers to manage protests. Last month, the Home Office said its review could result in the bolstering of existing police and civil powers or creating new ones.
The right to protest must be balanced with the right of pregnant women to choose Council motion