74 y/o Woman Arrested, Charged With Violating Abortion Clinic’s 650ft Buffer Zone + Faces $12K in Fines
A 74-year-old senior citizen was arrested yesterday outside Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, and charged with breaching the peace after she stood silently too close to the hospital with a “anti-abortion” sign that read “Coercio is a crime. Here to talk, only if you want” in defiance of the country’s new pro-choice buffer laws.
The new law, which was passed last September, prohibits any anti-abortion protester, even ones holding silent vigils, from going within 200 meters (656 feet) of any abortion clinic in the country, making this the first arrest in this particular legislation’s history.
According to the government’s website:
Safe Access Zones (sometimes also called ‘buffer zones’) prevent certain activities around clinics and hospitals that provide abortion services. This is doing something which either intends to (or is reckless as to whether it will):
- influence someone’s decision to access, provide or facilitate the provision of abortion services
- prevent or impede another person from accessing, providing or facilitating the provision of abortion services, or
- cause harassment, alarm or distress to another person relating to their decision to access, provide or facilitate the provision of abortion services, where in each case the other person is in the safe access zone
Examples of such behaviour, where there is intent or recklessness, may include:
- silent vigils
- approaching someone to try and persuade them not to access abortion services
- surrounding people as they try to go in or out of the clinic or hospital
- handing out leaflets
- religious preaching
Anyone who breaks Safe Access Zone laws could be fined “up to £10,000 ($12,600) under summary procedure or to an unlimited amount under solemn procedure.”
From @scotfamparty. First buffer zone arrest in Scotland Today, after a 74 year old woman was led away in handcuffs after breeching an abortion clinic buffer zone, which are pegged at 650 feet around the abortuaries. pic.twitter.com/Rmn1DTLniQ
— Protestia (@Protestia) February 20, 2025
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