Northern Ireland’s Attorney General has questioned whether the introduction of abortion ‘buffer zones’ is consistent with the right to peaceful protest.
Dame Brenda King has asked the Supreme Court to consider if criminalising people who hand out pro-life literature or speak to anyone about abortion near to a clinic is “proportionate interference” or Stormont overreach.
In March, Green Party leader Clare Bailey’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill passed its Final Stage in the Assembly by 55 votes to 29.
Disproportionate
Dame Brenda called on the Court to rule whether the Bill, “which does not provide for a defence of reasonable excuse, is a proportionate interference with the rights of those who wish to express opposition to abortion services in Northern Ireland”.
In a public consultation on the Bill, only 13 individual responses out of more than 6,400 were in favour of the introduction of ‘buffer zones’.
The Attorney General also asked the Court to determine whether the ban on peaceful protests outside abortion clinics was “within the competence of the Assembly”.
In a public consultation on the Bill, only 13 individual responses out of more than 6,400 were in favour of the introduction of ‘buffer zones’.
Frankfurt
Earlier this year, a German federal court upheld the right of a pro-life prayer group to hold vigils outside clinics in the city of Frankfurt which host counselling sessions promoting abortion.
The Court ruled that “the legal system does not provide protection against being confronted by undesirable other views”.
It also said that banning peaceful protests in the vicinity of abortion facilities “would be an unjustified interference with the fundamental right to freedom of assembly”.
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