SCOTLAND – Gillian Mackay slams JD Vance attacks on buffer zones bill

18th October
By Fiona Brown

GILLIAN Mackay has slammed US vice president JD Vance’s attacks on the abortion buffer zones bill.

… During her speech at the Scottish Greens conference on Saturday, party co-leader Mackay called out “anti-choice protesters” misrepresenting the bill, including Vance.

“You can imagine my reaction when I found out that it was also the Vice President of the United States,” Mackay said.

Continued: https://www.thenational.scot/news/25553346.gillian-mackay-slams-jd-vance-attacks-buffer-zones-bill/

18.10.2025

News

abortion buffer zones

Farage urged to explain anti-abortion links to meeting with Trump officials

Lib Dems accuse Reform leader of wanting to water down women’s rights after reports of help from advocacy group

Rowena Mason
Thu 16 Oct 2025

Nigel Farage has been urged to explain why a US anti-abortion advocacy group helped arrange a meeting in London with Trump administration officials and diplomats.

The meeting, first reported by the New York Times, took place in March between Farage and a delegation from Trump’s state department, which it said was overseen by the US embassy and brokered by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) group. The meeting was said to have discussed abortion rights, free speech and online safety laws.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/16/farage-urged-to-explain-anti-abortion-links-to-meeting-with-trump-officials

16.10.2025

News

Alliance Defending Freedom

UK – What is the truth about crisis pregnancy centres? The anti-abortion facilities creeping across Britain

Many faith-based crisis pregnancy centres are believed to offer an 'ethical' service, but there are some which have been found to be 'misleading' women. It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell which as centres may 'hide their ideological aims'

Isabella McRae
14 Oct 2025

Crisis pregnancy centres, which have been known to “misinform” women around abortion, have become increasingly “professionalised” in the UK and are often unregulated, experts have warned.

These centres are commonly run by Christian groups and promise to offer “impartial” and “ethical” advice for free, but some have been found to be promoting “medically inaccurate” information with an anti-abortion agenda which risks leaving women “traumatised”.

Continued: https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/abortion-uk-crisis-pregnancy-centres/

UK – Abortion is close to decriminalisation. But how quickly can rights and progress be rolled back?

More than 100 women are believed to have been arrested on suspicion of illegal abortion over the last five years in England and Wales, but a new law will offer greater protections. The Big Issue asks experts if rights could still be under threat

Isabella McRae
13 Oct 2025

Women have been prosecuted for having an abortion for centuries. Even in recent years, in this country, women suspected of an illegal abortion have been arrested straight from the hospital ward, their homes searched and their children taken away. But a new law set to be passed in England and Wales means that abortion is a step closer to decriminalisation.

Abortion was legalised in 1967, meaning women can have an abortion up to 23 weeks and six days of a pregnancy, provided two doctors agree it meets certain criteria. The laws which are currently used to prosecute women in England were created in the Victorian era.

Continued: https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/abortion-decriminalisation-womens-rights-uk/

SCOTLAND – Anti-abortion campaigner arrested for second time

BBC
Sep 27, 2025

A 75-year-old woman has been arrested for a second time for taking part in an anti-abortion protest outside a hospital in Glasgow. Rose Docherty was detained on Hardgate Road, outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, on Wednesday while carrying a placard which stated "Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want."

She was arrested, charged and released on bail under a new law that created buffer zones outside Scottish abortion clinics.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq65q455gn0o

27.09.2025

News

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act

buffer zones

Gillian Mackay

Queen Elizabeth University hospital

Netherlands – Utrecht Mayor presses for law to block anti-abortion protests at clinic doors

Tuesday, 16 September 2025

Utrecht Mayor Sharon Dijksma is calling on the Dutch government to introduce national legislation banning anti-abortion protests directly in front of clinics, after the highest administrative court allowed activists to demonstrate at the doors of a Utrecht clinic.

According to NOS, the ruling is related to the Christian group Jezus Leeft, which the court allowed to protest directly outside the clinic with slogans such as “abortion is murder.” Utrecht had attempted to enforce a buffer zone but was overruled.

Continued: https://nltimes.nl/2025/09/16/utrecht-mayor-presses-law-block-anti-abortion-protests-clinic-doors

UK – US Christian conservative groups escalate support for UK anti-abortion protesters

Phoebe Davis

Saturday 16 August 2025

Network of well-funded bodies backs cases in UK after JD Vance’s challenge on buffer zones outside abortion clinics

The Trump administration has warned the UK that “buffer zones” that criminalise protest outside abortion clinics represent an “egregious violation” of free speech and threaten the “shared values that underpin US-UK relations”.

The US escalation in intervening in the prosecution of British anti-abortion protesters comes after the White House took the highly unusual step of criticising the UK for a “worsening” human rights situation, citing “safe access zones” around clinics as an area of concern.

Continued: https://observer.co.uk/news/international/article/us-christian-conservative-groups-escalate-support-for-uk-anti-abortion-protesters

Scotland – Woman arrested at anti-abortion protest faces no further action

Aug 14, 2025
Katy Scott, BBC Scotland News

A woman who was arrested for taking part in an anti-abortion protest outside a hospital in Glasgow will face no further action.

Rose Docherty, 75, was the first person to be charged under a new law that created buffer zones outside Scottish abortion clinics.

She had been taking part in a demonstration close to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in February.

Continued; https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ry0e8k77ko

SCOTLAND – Research into protests and vigils that take place outside clinics and hospitals offering abortion care

8 August 2025
From Minister for Public Health and Women's Health, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

Chapter one: Introduction
This research was conducted by Rocket Science on behalf of the Scottish Government. Rocket Science are an independent research and evaluation organisation who were commissioned to examine the prevalence, scale and impact of protests and vigils taking place outside of healthcare facilities that offer abortion care in Scotland. Specifically, the research was undertaken to:

examine the prevalence, frequency and scale of vigils and protests which occur outside of healthcare facilities providing abortions

explore the impact of vigils and protests on patients’ ability to, and experiences of, accessing abortion services in Scotland.

understand the perspectives and motivations of those involved in protests and/or vigils.

Continued: https://www.gov.scot/publications/research-protests-vigils-take-place-outside-clinics-hospitals-offering-abortion-care/

08.08.2025

Research

anti-choice harassment

anti-choice intimidation

anti-choice protesters

anti-choice protests

anti-choice vigils

buffer zones

impacts of protesters

A powerful and coordinated movement against human rights is growing in the UK

July 9, 2025
Amnesty International UK

A powerful anti-rights movement is growing in the UK, threatening to roll back our hard-won freedoms and rewrite the rules on whose rights, bodies and lives deserve protection.

Our groundbreaking analysis has uncovered a rapidly expanding network of organisations working to undermine human rights protections, targeting reproductive freedoms, LGBTI rights and promoting dangerous practices such as so-called "conversion therapy".

This threat is real, organised and growing. But we see their game, and we won’t stand for it.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/anti-rights