Dozens of anti-abortion supporters gathered outside Holyrood this afternoon to protest against the new buffer zone laws which came into force in Scotland today.
As of today, Tuesday September 24, safe access zones were established around 30 health facilities across Scotland, stopping anti-abortion protesters from gathering within 200 metres of such clinics. The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill, designed to protect women from harassment, was passed in June.
The move comes just over three months after the Scottish Parliament overwhelmingly passed the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act, with only one MSP voting against it.
Police Scotland will now enforce the legislation, with those breaking the law facing the possibility of an unlimited fine for the most serious breaches.
Pro-life campaigners have expressed their frustration at the new bill and have continued to protest until the new rules came into force.
On day one of the new law, around 30 anti-abortion supporters from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) were videoed standing outside the Scottish Parliament’s headquarters in Edinburgh.
The group waved posters which read: ‘crime: influencing someone on abortion’, ‘crime: praying about abortion’ and crime: offering help to pregnant women’.
Several wore red boiler suits and held onto rosary beads as they attempted to hit out at the new laws.
Speaking as the legislation came into force Green MSP Gillian Mackay, who led the push for the legislation, said: “This is a crucial day for reproductive rights and healthcare in Scotland. I hope that it will be the end of the intimidation and harassment we have seen of people who are accessing healthcare.
“Right from the first moment I saw footage of the protests, I could see how much damage they were doing and how many people were being impacted by them. I knew that I had to do everything I could to stop them.
“Over the days and weeks ahead, I will be working with the Scottish Government to ensure that patients and staff know where protesters can and can’t be so that they can report any activity that is against the law.”
Ms Mackay also praised campaigners like Back Off Scotland and thanked the women who had shared their “often difficult and traumatic stories” of facing protests outside clinics. She said: “I hope that this is a turning point and the beginning of the end of the protests, and that nobody else will have to endure them.”
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