UK Supreme Court to rule on ‘censorship zone’ outside abortion facilities
Pro-life and free-speech campaigners in the United Kingdom are awaiting a landmark ruling from the Supreme Court on Wednesday regarding censorship zones around abortion clinics.
The Northern Irish Assembly adopted the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Northern Ireland Bill in March.
However, Northern Ireland’s attorney general, Dame Brenda King, referred the bill to the Supreme Court out of concern that it was incompatible with fundamental freedoms enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.
The bill in question prohibits “direct” and “indirect” pro-life “influence” within a 100-meter vicinity of abortion premises. It stands to criminalize quiet or silent prayer along with the distribution of leaflets that offer women alternatives to abortion.
It is anticipated that the decision of the Supreme Court will likely influence the direction of similar legislation in Scotland and Westminster.
Before the passing of the controversial legislation in March, Alina Dulgheriu, who was once the recipient of pro-life support and is a member of the Be Here For Me Campaign, spoke out against the legislation.
In a statement released March 21, she said: “You don’t have to disagree with abortion to see that simply offering alternatives should be legally permissible.”
“The day that I turned up to my abortion appointment, a volunteer outside the clinic gave me a leaflet. It offered the help that I had been searching [for].”
“I weighed up the two options I had before me, and I chose motherhood,” Dulgheriu said. “I chose to accept help to get housing, help to find a job, and help to obtain a pram, a cot, and nappies. It wasn’t easy. But with the support of the group who had given me that leaflet, I couldn’t be prouder of the life my daughter and I have charted out together.”
