In a long overdue victory for reproductive justice campaigners, safe access zones around abortion clinics – otherwise known as buffer zones – have officially come into force, over 500 days after parliament officially approved the law back in May 2023.
From now, it will be illegal to protest or distribute anti-abortion leaflets within a 150-metre radius around abortion services. Anyone convicted of doing so faces an unlimited fine. According to the government, it is now a criminal offence to intentionally or recklessly:
- Influence any person’s decision to access or facilitate abortion services at an abortion clinic.
- Obstruct any person from accessing or facilitating abortion services at an abortion clinic.
- Cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person in connection with a decision to access, provide or facilitate abortion services at an abortion clinic.
Those engaging in so-called ‘silent prayer’ may also fall under the scope of this law – while each case will be considered individually based on evidence, other criminal offences could include: handing out anti-abortion leaflets, protesting against abortion rights or shouting at individuals attempting to access abortion services. It could also cover holding vigils or any behaviour where someone is intentionally trying to – or recklessly acting in a way that might – influence a person accessing the service.
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British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), the UK's leading provider of abortion services, has been campaigning for buffer zones for over a decade. In a statement, the charity welcomed the news, saying, “For the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of women accessing healthcare, we must ensure that all forms of harassment are prohibited outside abortion clinics.”
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said, “Getting this measure up and running as soon as possible has been one of our priorities and I am proud of everyone involved in getting us here. The idea that any woman is made to feel unsafe or harassed for accessing health services, including abortion clinics is sickening. This stops today.”
The fight for buffer zones – which, reminder, enable women to access healthcare without being intimidated or harassed by randomers – has been tumultuous. Buffer zones were signed into law back in May 2023, but that hasn't stopped anti-abortion protestors from harassing women outside clinics.
Police have been unable to enforce these buffer zone laws due to the previous Conservative government's failure to implement them or even set out a timeline. This led to anti-abortion protestors effectively being given the green light to continue their demonstrations – which can include verbal abuse, throwing holy water, and hanging models of foetuses from trees – outside clinics across England and Wales.
I felt safer getting my abortion in a country that forthrightly enshrines abortion access in law.
Under the Public Order Act, it is a criminal offence to harass or intimidate anyone from accessing abortion services. The buffer zones now cover 150 metres around abortion clinics, and those who are found guilty of transgressing these boundaries will face an unlimited fine.
Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, said of the previous government back in 2023, "Parliament promised women they would be able to access an abortion in peace, but months after the Public Order Act, they still haven't implemented buffer zones.
“This makes a mockery of their commitment both to women's safety and democracy. With protestors outside clinics today hassling women, it's vital that they get a grip and protect their right to privacy.”
The battle for buffer zones has been hard-fought. When the Public Order Act passed through parliament, Louise McCudden, the UK advocacy and public affairs advisor at MSI Reproductive Choices, said it would “protect over 100,000 women a year, who will finally be able to access the healthcare to which they are legally entitled free from intimidation and harassment.”
She continued, “For decades, our teams around the country have been forced to witness the cruel tactics of anti-abortion groups who have had a free pass to harass people attending our clinics, invade their space and attempt to block their right to healthcare.
“At long last, everyone will have the right to access vital reproductive healthcare with safety, dignity, and privacy, no matter where in the country they happen to live.”
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Stella Creasy also spoke out about the importance of this ruling for all who have faced harassment.
“With evidence hundreds of thousands of women every year are hassled it’s right we have a national solution for a national problem," she has said. “It’s for them we have acted so that they can access an abortion without having to run the gauntlet of protestors to seek healthcare."
Creasy has also called upon ministers to “act swiftly to ensure that this change is implemented and guidance published, to ensure that every woman is able to enjoy the protections which have been won today.”
In Parliament, she stated: “It does not stop free speech on abortion. It does not stop people protesting. It simply says you shouldn’t have the right to do this in the face of somebody – and very often these people are right up in front of people – at a point where they have made a decision.”
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