May 3, 2023
By Morven Mckinnon, BBC Scotland News
Pro-choice activists have raised concerns after the Scottish government disbanded a working group on abortion buffer zones. Back Off Scotland, which wants curbs on protests near clinics, accused ministers of sitting "on their hands".
A members bill proposed by Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay would set up 150m "safe access" zones around sites.
Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65472848
Protests outside abortion clinics and family planning centers are underway in Germany. Reproductive rights advocates point to the influence of US money and tactics on the anti-abortion movement in Germany and Europe.
Helen Whittle
Mar 4, 2023
In the early afternoon on a gray and windy Friday in February, a dozen protesters from EuroProLife slowly began to appear opposite the Pro Familia family planning advice and counseling center in Frankfurt's Westend.
Clutching hymn sheets and rosaries, they chanted the Hail Mary prayer. Some held placards bearing images of smiling babies or a tiny clenched fist with the slogans "Unborn Lives Matter" and "Abortion Is Not a Solution."
Continued: https://www.dw.com/en/german-abortion-clinics-targeted-by-us-style-protests/a-64877764
Dec 7, 2022
By Jayne McCormack, BBC News NI political correspondent
A bill to ban anti-abortion protests at Northern Ireland health clinics does not "disproportionately interfere" with protesters' rights, the Supreme Court has ruled.
Former assembly member Clare Bailey developed the bill to set up so-called safe access zones outside clinics where abortions are carried out.
It was voted through the assembly in March by a majority of parties. It was delayed from becoming law after the attorney general intervened.
Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-63886414
Dec 2, 2022
An anti-abortion group is taking legal action over a clinic buffer zone, claiming it censors free speech and criminalises reading from the Bible.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council is being taken to court for introducing the zone to protect staff and visitors from protests.
Christian Concern said the council's consultation held prior to its introduction was "questionable".
Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-63834799
When Roe v. Wade fell, restrictions and bans created an access bottleneck for people seeking abortions, fueling a rising need for later-pregnancy terminations. Here, Cosmo goes behind the scenes of one clinic’s fight to open its doors.
by T.S. MENDOLA
NOV 14, 2022
At any other kind of clinic, the man in the baseball cap wouldn’t warrant attention. He’s just leaning against his bike, smoking a cigarette in the courtyard. But to Morgan Nuzzo, his presence is ominous. It’s 94 degrees this Tuesday afternoon in College Park, Maryland, and the man wears all black. Minutes tick by. He doesn’t make a move toward any of the businesses in the building.
Continued: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a41558326/partners-in-abortion-care-clinic-all-trimesters/
With protests against abortion rights becoming increasingly aggressive, countries such as England, Wales and Spain are drawing up laws to protect people at clinics.
Ines Eisele
October 23, 2022
On January 20, 2023, hundreds of thousands of opponents of abortion rights are expected to gather in the US capital, Washington D.C., for the "March for Life." The march takes place annually on or around the anniversary of the January 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade decision, which had protected abortion rights in the United States until this June, when the US Supreme Court overturned the decision. Several states have since further restricted abortion.
Though the march is the biggest and most famous anti-abortion event, there are many such rallies in the United States and around the world. Many organizations that were founded to oppose abortion rights in the United States now have branches abroad. One of the biggest organizations in the world for opponents of reproductive rights is 40 Days for Life, a Christian organization that campaigns against abortion in dozens of countries.
Continued: https://www.dw.com/en/us-style-anti-abortion-protests-are-spreading-to-europe/a-63528128
Oct 18, 2022
Plans to enforce buffer zones around abortion clinics in England and Wales have been backed by MPs.
Under the proposed law, harassing, obstructing or interfering with any woman attending an abortion clinic would become a criminal offence.
Protesters found guilty of breaching 150-metre buffer zones around clinics would face up to six months in jail.
Prominent conservatives are claiming the Biden administration launched a "war on pro-lifers" after the Justice Department arrested several protesters for blocking access to abortion clinics.
By Alanna Vagianos
Oct 8, 2022
It’s been a federal crime for nearly 30 years to intimidate or interfere with any person trying to obtain or provide reproductive health care services. But two recent indictments by the Department of Justice for such violations have enraged some influential conservatives, who are now stoking a false narrative about a supposed war against the religious right.
It started with prominent anti-abortion minister Mark Houck, who late last month was arrested on federal charges that he allegedly twice assaulted a 72-year-old patient escort outside of a Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia. If proven, it would be a clear violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a 1994 law that makes it a federal crime to use force or the threat of force to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person trying to obtain or provide reproductive health care services.
Continued: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/right-wing-arrests-anti-abortion-activists_n_634082dbe4b028164534c4ee
By Lynsey Bews
Sept 28, 2022
A US anti-abortion campaign group has said it will help mount a legal challenge if a law to implement buffer zones is passed in Scotland.
Texas-based 40 Days for Life is already active outside clinics and hospitals in Scotland.
The group's volunteers carry out what they term "vigils" but others claim the protests intimidate vulnerable women.
By Jayne McCormack, BBC News NI political correspondent
July 19, 2022
Legislation to ban anti-abortion protests at health settings in Northern Ireland will not "go back to square one", the Supreme Court has been told.
In March, the Stormont Assembly voted for a bill to place "buffer zones" outside abortion clinics.
It is being challenged by NI's attorney general, Dame Brenda King.
Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-62212011
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