Press Release

The right to peaceful protest and free speech can be upheld without infringing upon a woman’s fundamental right to make her own sexual health choices...

• Caroline: Government has ‘duty to ensure sexual health services can be safely accessed’ – ‘buffer zones are key’

• BPAS BRIGHTON CLINIC MANAGER:  ‘BPAS Brighton has struggled to deal with the immense distress Abort67 causes local women – we hope this campaign means police will be given the power to protect women’

• BPAS UK: ‘We hope the EDM encourages many more MPs around the country to confront this issue in the way Caroline has – now is the time to work together’

CAROLINE has called on the Government to legislate to protect women and staff attending abortion clinics and pregnancy advisory services.

She was “concerned”, she said, at an apparent escalation in anti-abortion activity at the centres, including outside the Wistons Clinic, in her Brighton constituency.

Caroline, who is backing the British Pregnancy Advisory Service's (BPAS) ‘Back Off’ campaign, has urged the Secretary of State to enforce “buffer zones” outside reproductive health clinics to ensure women are not intimidated or obstructed from accessing confidential advice and treatment.

Caroline said: “This isn’t about shutting down debate. It’s about the balance of rights. The right to peaceful protest and free speech can be upheld without infringing upon a woman’s fundamental right to make her own sexual health choices. The Government has a duty to ensure these legal healthcare services can continue to operate and be accessed safely - and I strongly urge it to legislate to that effect. These must be intimidation-free zones.

She added: “Approaching and recording women, handing them misleading information and distressing images, can constitute intimidation and jeopardise their ability to access services and advice. Buffer zones outside clinics are key – they would help ensure staff and women can access legal health services.”

You can see Caroline’s Parliamentary Questions and Early Day Motion in the notes section, below.

BPAS Brighton Clinic manager Darren Jefferson said:  “BPAS Brighton has struggled to deal with the immense distress Abort67 causes local women, our staff and residents and the police have consistently said they are unable to help. The staff and patients at Wistons clinic are really grateful for Caroline’s support – we hope this campaign means the police will be given the power to protect women from anti-abortion groups.”

Clare Murphy, Director of External Affairs at BPAS said: “Anti-abortion activism targeting women and clinics has increased over recent years, placing an intolerable strain on women needing services and causing disruption and distress to local communities. It has become clear that the only way to tackle this effectively is through the creation of buffer or safe spaces around pregnancy advice and abortion centres.

“We feel extremely fortunate to have in Caroline an MP who understands the impact these regular demonstrations have on women, healthcare staff providing women’s care and those who live and work nearby.  This kind of anti-abortion activity is not unique to Brighton but replicated outside clinics around the country. We hope that the EDM encourages many more MPs around the country to confront this issue in the way Caroline has and demonstrate their support for the ‘Back Off’ campaign.  The vast majority of us support women’s right to access abortion services free from intimidation – and now is the time to work together for women across the UK.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• You can access Caroline’s EDM for buffer zones around abortion clinics and pregnancy advisory bureaux here
• Caroline has also tabled some Parliamentary Questions on the issue. You can see them here and here
• You can find out more about BPAS here and more about its Back Off campaign here