‘Conservative’ Led Parliament Backs Abortion Clinic Protest Ban in Britain

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JANUARY 12: A pro-life activist stands outside the Marie Stope
Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
Kurt Zindulka

A ban on protesting around abortion clinics in England and Wales was backed this week by parliamentarians despite the nominally Conservative Party holding a commanding majority in the House of Commons.

The so-called buffer-zone legislation, which was spearheaded by Labour MP Stella Creasy, would prohibit people from protesting within 150 meters of an abortion clinic or face up to six months in jail, making the interference, harassment, or obstructing any women trying to enter a clinic a criminal offence.

Creasy said per the BBC that the prohibition on protesting around abortion clinics would protect “women accessing a very specific type of health care”.

“It does not stop free speech on abortion. It does not stop people protesting,” she claimed. “It simply says you shouldn’t have the right to do this in the face of somebody – and very often these people are right up in front of people.”

While the Conservative party currently holds a large majority in the House of Commons against the Labour Party by a margin of 357 to 197, many from the neo-liberal wing within the Tory ranks joined with the left-wing party to vote in favour of adopting the amendment to the Government’s Public Order Bill, including former Prime Minister Theresa May and cabinet member and leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt.

However, some within the government did vote against the amendment’s adoption, including then Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who dramatically resigned from her post the following day, alongside Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch.

Yet, ultimately the amendment was approved by a margin of 297 votes to just 110, speaking to how far the Conservative Party has drifted culturally.

In comments provided to Breitbart London, Alexandra Di Falco, the director of communications for the Abortion Resistance campaign group said: “I am absolutely disgusted that our government has once again failed women. They have voted to prevent women from accessing all options – particularly if they are being coerced.

“Not only that, but the government have further enabled the violent killing of unborn babies by removing the final lifeline cast by people seeking to peacefully provide mothers with help and support outside abortion clinics.

“The imposition of buffer zone law is draconian, anti-democratic, and has no place in civilised society.”

The legislation still has some hurdles to cross before becoming law, including going through parliamentary scrutiny in the House of Lords, however, it is likely that it will pass in some form.

It comes as the Conservative-led government earlier this year under Prime Minister Boris Johnson made permanent the supposedly temporary coronavirus measure to allow women to access pregnancy-ending pills by post with little more than a phone call to a doctor.

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka

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