{"id":268708,"date":"2022-05-23T17:55:16","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T22:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=268708"},"modified":"2023-11-14T19:23:40","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T01:23:40","slug":"scotland-jail-pro-life-sidewalk-counselors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/scotland-jail-pro-life-sidewalk-counselors\/","title":{"rendered":"Scottish lawmaker introduces bill to create buffer zones, jail pro-life sidewalk counselors"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

(Right to Life UK<\/a>) — A Scottish MSP has launched a Bill at Holyrood to introduce censorship zones outside abortion clinics in Scotland.<\/p>\n

If the Bill becomes law, potential jail sentences\u00a0of up to two years<\/a>\u00a0would be introduced for people who attempt to influence or persuade someone seeking an abortion inside censorship zones outside abortion clinics and hospitals offering abortion.<\/p>\n

Gillian Mackay, an MSP for the Green Party, has initiated a public consultation on the Bill, which is the first stage of the Bill process.<\/p>\n

Supporters of the Bill such as Audrey Brown, a consultant in sexual and reproductive healthcare and the chair of the Scottish Abortion Care Providers Group, claim that there has been an escalation in incidents of people standing outside abortion clinics offering alternatives to abortion and praying.<\/p>\n

However, Robert Colquhoun, the international campaigns director of 40 Days for Life, one of the groups that organise vigils outside abortion clinics, has\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0that there has not been any significant increase but that a recent increase in media visibility had drawn the regular vigils to public attention.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, as Nicola Sturgeon made her hostility to these vigils clear and hosted a summit on how to tackle them, the women-led \u2018Compassion Scotland\u2019 was launched to oppose censorship zones outside abortion clinics in Scotland.<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0These three families say \u2018thank you\u2019 to pro-life sidewalk counselors<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Their spokesperson, Hannah McNicol\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0peaceful gatherings happening across Scotland did not amount to harassment and that it would be an \u201cegregious breach of fundamental human rights\u201d to prohibit them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen seek abortions for many reasons and can often be under immense pressure to do so \u2013 whether that be financial and employment pressures or coercion from a partner or family member. The peaceful presence of volunteers signposting practical support and counsel has been a lifeline in the past to women who feel they have no choice but an abortion\u201d.<\/p>\n

A similar initiative to introduce censorship zones in England and Wales\u00a0failed<\/a>\u00a0to pass in 2020.<\/p>\n

Two years previously, following a review into the nature and extent of the activity outside abortion clinics across the country, Sajid Javid announced that the Home Office could not find adequate reason to introduce censorship zones.<\/p>\n

He\u00a0said<\/a>: \u201c\u2026introducing national buffer zones would not be a proportionate response, considering the experiences of the majority of hospitals and clinics, and considering that the majority of activities are more passive in nature. In making my decision, I am also aware that legislation already exists to restrict protest activities that cause harm to others\u201d.<\/p>\n

Opposition to censorship zones extends beyond pro-life advocates to unite a large part of society who may not agree with the pro-life position on abortion but opposes censorship zones as a threat to freedom of speech.<\/p>\n

Despite supporting abortion, a number of prominent human rights groups and campaigners have spoken out against the introduction of censorship zones. This\u00a0includes<\/a>\u00a0Peter Tatchell, the Manifesto Club, Big Brother Watch, Index on Censorship and the Freedom Association.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Be Here for Me website<\/a>\u00a0highlights just a few of the many stories of women who have been helped by people outside abortion clinics, and the stories of women who could miss out on such support in the future.<\/p>\n

Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said: \u201cThrough a recent Freedom of Information Request by Compassion Scotland, Police Scotland\u00a0revealed<\/a>\u00a0there were no recorded incidents of intimidation or harassment at thirteen different locations across Scotland between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2021\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe evidence to justify censorship zones simply does not exist. It would be a serious infringement on the right to peaceful assembly and would prevent offers of assistance to at least some women who feel they have no other choice\u201d.<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at Right to Life UK<\/a> and is reprinted here with permission.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Right to Life UK) — A Scottish MSP has launched a Bill at Holyrood to introduce censorship zones outside abortion clinics in Scotland. If the Bill becomes law, potential jail sentences\u00a0of up to two years\u00a0would be introduced for people who attempt to influence or persuade someone seeking an abortion inside censorship zones outside abortion clinics […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":669,"featured_media":268711,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[7077,5,3473],"tags":[366,19,17437,10368,8134,10121,10620,17435,13669,34,17436,10120,10218,6982,17438],"yoast_head":"\nScottish lawmaker introduces bill to create buffer zones, jail pro-life sidewalk counselors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Scottish MP has introduced a bill to create buffer censorship zones outside of abortion facilities and potentially jail pro-life sidewalk counselors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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