BUFFER zones, protecting patients and workers from harassment outside abortion clinics, came into force today in what was hailed a “crucial day for reproductive rights.”
Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay championed the Safe Access Zones (Scotland) Act to curb growing protests — by religious fundamentalists and the wider anti-choice lobby — aimed at shaming women seeking access to reproductive health.
Just one MSP, the SNP’s John Mason, voted against the legislation earlier this year after a process, which heard harrowing evidence on the effects protests had on women seeking health support.
Now that the law — enforced by Police Scotland — has finally come into force, anti-choice campaigners face potentially unlimited fines if they protest within 200m of the country’s 30 abortion clinics.
Welcoming the law she pioneered, Ms Mackay commented: “This is a crucial day for reproductive rights and healthcare in Scotland.
“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.
“I am grateful to everyone who has supported the introduction of buffer zones, whether that is MSPs and ministers or campaign groups like Back Off Scotland.
“I am particularly grateful to the many people who shared what I know were often difficult and traumatic stories with me.
“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.”
SNP women’s health minister Jenny Minto added: “The introduction of Safe Access Zones is a crucial milestone in protecting women’s abortion rights.
“No one has the right to interfere in women’s personal medical decisions and the law now makes that abundantly clear.”
Similar legislation covering England and Wales will be enacted on October 31.
