A council in London could become the second local authority in the UK to approve an exclusion zone around an abortion clinic. A regulatory committee of Richmond Council voted last week to make it a crime to attempt any form of interaction with staff or visitors to a center run by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service in Twickenham, a suburban area of southwest London.
If the Public Spaces Protection Order is sanctioned by a full meeting of the council, it will be the second to be used to create a “buffer zone” around an abortion clinic. The decision by Richmond Council follows a 2018 decision by Ealing Council, London, to create a 218-yard zone around a Marie Stopes clinic.
That policy is due to face a legal challenge in the Court of Appeal. Both councils have alleged that individuals participating in pro-life vigils have harassed and intimidated women going for abortions. Elizabeth Howard of the Be Here for Me campaign, in support of the vigils, said: “It is shocking to see how Richmond has acted on allegation rather than evidence in bringing in this censorship zone. They have deliberately chosen to outlaw charitable activity that has a profoundly positive impact for many vulnerable women.”
