Proposals to impose buffer zones outside abortion facilities raise concerns about freedom of religion, belief, association and expression.
Proposals to impose buffer zones outside abortion facilities raise concerns about freedom of religion, belief, association and expression.
Clause 9 of the Public Order Bill as amended currently seeks to criminalise a range of activities within a 150m radius of an abortion clinic. Its broad formulation is disproportionate and unnecessary. Its implications extend beyond the perimeters of an abortion clinic and raise questions about the state’s powers in relation to the individual in a free society, both those with faith and those without.
This legislative proposal extends trends at a local level, which have seen Public Space Protection Orders banning prayer and the recitation of Scripture. We express concern with these moves at local level too.
There is a risk, despite any other intent, that existing and proposed measures constitute discrimination and disproportionately have an impact on people of religious faith.
We condemn all harassment and intimidation of women. It was accepted in a 2018 Home Office Review that there are already laws and mechanisms in place to protect women from such behaviour.
Religious liberty is essential for the flourishing and the realisation of the dignity of every person. It is a foundational freedom for any free society.
