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Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Grandmother arrested at abortion clinic warns of expanding free speech 'buffer zones'
A grandmother in the U.K. who was arrested for holding a sign outside an abortion clinic is sounding the alarm against further attacks on free speech as lawmakers move to expand so-called "buffer zones" outside such facilities. Rose Docherty, 74, was arrested in Glasgow, Scotland near the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in February for holding a sign that read: "Coercion is a crime, here to talk if you want." Docherty was the first person to be arrested and charged under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act, which went into effect in September, the BBC reported. The law prohibits any protests or vigils from taking place within 200m or 656ft of 30 clinics offering abortion services in Scotland, but the law specifies that the Safe Access Zone could be extended if considered appropriate. Docherty's arrest came just days after Vice President JD Vance highlighted the law as an example of free speech being under attack in the U.K. Uk Woman Threatened With Fine For Praying Within Abortion Facility's 'Buffer Zone:' ' Grossly Orwellian' Read On The Fox News App Now, Gillian Mackay, the Green Party parliamentarian responsible for introducing the buffer zones legislation, has now suggested that the Scottish government consider expanding the area of prohibition on "influence" outside hospitals, according to ADF International, a Christian legal advocacy group. Docherty has rejected a formal warning from the Crown Office - arguing that it was "unjust" - and is waiting to find out what action may now be taken against her. In her first broadcast interview since her arrest, she told the BBC she had "no reason to regret" the incident, noting it was an "alarming" and "surreal" experience. She said she had read the law and believed her actions did not violate the legislation. "I gave consideration to what I was doing…I looked at the law and saw what it said I couldn't do, and thought, OK, well, this is what I can do…I can offer to listen, and if anyone wants to come and speak to me, they can do so, only if they want to come and speak with me," she told BBC's Scotcast. She said she is prepared to go to prison over the offense. Docherty has also said that the government essentially wants to stamp out any opposition to abortion. "I believe it wouldn't matter where we stood…it wouldn't matter how far they pushed the 'buffer zone,'" she told ADF International, a Christian legal advocacy group. New Online 'Misinformation' Bill Slammed As 'Biggest Attack' On Freedoms In Australia "It wouldn't matter where we stood –201 meters, or 500 meters away – it seems the authorities would still try to crack down harshly and unfairly on individuals because the government simply disagree with their point of view. This is unjust – of course, there should be laws against harassment, and we all condemn such behavior. But merely offering conversations near a hospital is not a crime." Dr Greg Irwin, a doctor at the QEUH, was pictured confronting a group of protesters in February 2023, saying that they "cause emotional upset to patients, but also to staff members," per the BBC. Groups have been protesting outside the hospital for 10 years, leading to the passing of the Safe Access Zones Act. Mackay said patients and staff had told her that they still had to pass the protesters when attending the QEUH leading to distress. "I think it's appropriate that we take those concerns seriously and the government take a look at whether an extension is appropriate or not," Mackay told the BBC. The act allows ministers to extend the size of a buffer zone if it is decided that the existing zone is not adequate, a Scottish government spokesperson told the outlet. Docherty isn't the first person to be arrested outside abortion facilities. For instance, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a prominent pro-life activist, was arrested twice in Birmingham for silently praying without any signs near an abortion facility within a buffer zone. She was arrested under a local law known as a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). She was later awarded $13,000 in compensation for wrongful arrests, according to Christian Today. The U.K. has drawn international attention for its alleged clampdown on free speech. A number of people have been investigated and arrested for social media article source: Grandmother arrested at abortion clinic warns of expanding free speech 'buffer zones'
The National
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Greens leadership hopeful says 'soundbitey' nature of FMQs must end
The Green MSP, who launched her bid to become a co-leader on Friday, has called for more collaboration at Holyrood as a way of seeing off the rise of Reform UK, who according to a poll released last week could become the main opposition. She insisted both the 'soundbitey' and 'formulaic' nature of sessions in the Parliament have led to people distrusting politicians and MSPs need to accept that to turn that around, they need to show they can work together amicably. 'There has been a reluctance in successive parliaments for politicians to show who they are as people. It's very soundbitey, it's very formulaic in some cases,' she told the Sunday National. She went on: 'I think this has been one of those sessions where everybody hasn't necessarily always worked nicely together. For this final year of Parliament, finding our way through some of the issues that are facing people in the biggest way is an absolute duty for all of us. READ MORE: Scottish Labour London MSP hopeful squirms in 'paper candidate' grilling 'People do respond well when their politicians speak to one another and collaborate and disagree in a way that at least makes everybody feel we're all trying to make it better. If someone just tuned into FMQs every week, I don't think they'd think we're all in there trying to make everything better. 'I think we need to face up to the fact that to restore that trust in our politicians, we need to demonstrate there is a way to work collaboratively.' Mackay has become a well-known face in the Scottish Parliament having spearheaded the passage of the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act last year. The law – which was only rejected by one MSP – makes it illegal for anti-abortion protests to be staged within 200m of a clinic in Scotland. She has now thrown her hat in the ring to become a co-leader, insisting she is "happy to work with anyone". Current co-leader Lorna Slater has also announced she will be running again. Slater's fellow co-leader and veteran MSP Patrick Harvie announced last month he would be stepping down from the role after almost 17 years. It opens the door to a new generation of hopefuls to lead the party and Mackay said she is keen to show the Greens are about more than just climate. (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) She said wants to demonstrate how left-wing politics 'makes people's lives better' and make the party's policies around cutting emissions more 'tangible' to the public, which she thinks is another method of tackling the threat of Nigel Farage's party. The party marked a victory last week as the SNP Government U-turned to announce peak rail fares would end from September. 'We need to make sure that people understand Green politics is more than just climate and gardening,' she said. 'I really want the Greens to offer that left-wing view and show how left politics makes people's lives better, and how the right-wing offering doesn't. 'It's about making sure people understand that cutting emissions means we want to make their journeys on the buses and train cheaper. It's not about making it more difficult to get around their local areas. 'And that's just one tiny bit. I've been doing some stuff around the environmental impact of medicines for example and how that interacts with prescribing. READ MORE: SNP U-turn on peak train fares must spark full transport revolution 'It's not very sexy but it does have an impact on people so making those policies easy to understand but also easy for people to follow as to how it makes their lives better is the real thing there to unlock. 'I don't think we're unique in that as a party. I think there's a whole load of parties that can get tied up in technical things that are going on in Parliament and it ends up that no one can understand it except the 129 of us. That's how people lose trust in what's happening.' A poll by Survation last week predicted Reform UK are set to form the main opposition at Holyrood behind the SNP with Scottish Labour remaining in third place. Another reason why Mackay believes support has surged for Reform is from many politicians not interacting enough with their communities. She believes getting MSPs back to the nuts and bolts of being elected representatives is key to plugging the gap Reform have muscled their way into. 'I think we've heard a lot that people are distrustful of their politicians and I think that stems from the public's desire to have a connection with their elected reps,' she said. 'I think that's something we've potentially gotten away from giving them and Reform are trying to say 'we're the good guys, we're just like you'. 'I grew up in Grangemouth, I do not come from a middle-class community so [I feel I can deliver that] level of interaction and understanding of what people are dealing with on a daily basis. 'I could talk the hind legs off a donkey if I needed to and I think that's my strength, I would rather be speaking to people out in communities than spending hours in the chamber. 'I think we need to get back to politicians being in their communities and speaking to people about real issues and giving them that alternative.'
The National
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Would the Scottish buffer zones law pass with Donald Trump in power?
But since the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act came into effect, it has attracted unwanted attention from across the Atlantic following the election of Donald Trump as US President. Earlier this year, Vice President JD Vance used a speech to argue Europe was seeing a shift away from democratic values and cited the buffer zones law as way in which the 'basic liberties of religious Britons' were under threat. In an extraordinary intervention, he falsely claimed the Scottish Government distributed letters to people who live within a zone warning them that private prayer 'may amount to breaking the law'. In a separate incident, the US state department said it would be monitoring the case of a woman being prosecuted for the alleged breach of a zone outside a Bournemouth clinic, adding it was concerned about freedom of expression in the UK. It was even reported after this that there were concerns UK protections for abortion clinics could impact a potential trade deal with the US. All of this has led to a big question: would the buffer zones law in Scotland pass now, given the influence and power of the Trump administration? READ MORE: Scottish Government urged to extend Glasgow hospital buffer zone Lucy Grieve and Alice Murray were possibly more astounded than anyone when Vance began talking about a law that came about partly thanks to a campaign called Back Off Scotland that they started from their university bedrooms in 2020. When The National asked them whether they thought the law would pass through Parliament so easily now, they both felt it still would have got the green light but would have faced stronger pushback. Murray said: 'I think it would still pass but there may have been more challenge. 'I think there is a slight ethos that probably does come from Trump that things were going too far for a while in terms of inclusivity and progressiveness. JD Vance used a speech to criticise the buffer zones law in Scotland (Image: Kirsty Wigglesworth) 'At the moment, there is a bit of sense things were getting out of hand and now we need to pull it back and since that [attitude] does exist [maybe there would be push back], but it just depends whether or not people tied this up with that.' Grieve highlighted that given a huge number of people have come off Twitter/X because of the behaviour and comments of owner Elon Musk – who until the last few weeks was a special US government employee – they may also have struggled to raise awareness of their campaign if the law was going through Parliament now. Grieve said: 'I think it would be maybe more difficult [the passage of the law]. Lots of people have come off Twitter and that was a big way we rallied support. 'That's Elon Musk and his extremism that has made a lot of our supporters go off Twitter, so it could have affected things. 'But I think people are very pro-buffer zones because it's such a precise mechanism of balancing [rights].' (Image: PA) And that's why both Grieve and Murray don't feel people in Scotland should be overly worried about abortion rights going backwards as both of them have confidence that society here is in an entirely different place on abortion compared to the US. Murray said: 'There is a bit more of a basic societal response that abortion is healthcare in the UK and it's not an extra add-on.' There is no doubt certain anti-abortion groups such as 40 Days for Life – which has been regularly staging protests outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow – have felt emboldened by the interventions of the likes of JD Vance. More than 100 people turned out to a protest just outside the hospital's zone last month. But Grieve and Murray are firmly of the belief that a move like the overturning of Roe v Wade in the US – which meant millions of women lost the right to have an abortion – is never going to occur in these islands. READ MORE: Patrick Harvie: It's time for ministers to stop politicking and investigate Trump Grieve said rights have advanced so much now – with Westminster set to consider decriminalising abortion in England and Wales this summer – anti-abortionists are actually defending the 1967 Abortion Act so as to stop them going any further. 'I think people understand America is so far gone in terms of their abortion rights that they never want to end up like that,' Grieve said. 'I think having buffer zones wrapped up in a conversation about trade deals, as it was reported, I think the very large majority would think that is absolutely crazy, and that there is no place for it. 'I think we're in a place where we are winning in terms of strengthening our reproductive rights in Scotland and the UK and they're [anti-abortionists] in a position where instead of saying they want to revoke them, they are now starting to defend the 1967 Act as the basis of our abortion law because they think decriminalisation is too radical. 'Because the vast majority of abortions are provided or funded by the NHS across the UK, you couldn't turn that off overnight like you could with Roe vs Wade. It is seen as vital here, it's not this random outlier.' Murray added: 'We should have a reasonable amount of worry about Donald Trump's power and influence, but when you look at the work that is done on the ground by abortion activists and when you look at all the positive things that are happening, we shouldn't be too scared about a turn in that direction.'
Glasgow Times
26-04-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Government must consider expanding hospital buffer zone, MSP says
The Scottish Government must consider expanding the size of the buffer zone around a hospital where anti-abortion demonstrations are banned, the MSP behind the legislation has said. Gillian Mackay said protesters have been gathering just outside the 200m exclusion zone around the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow. The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill came into effect in September and creates areas around medical facilities where terminations are performed, to stop anti-abortion protesters gathering. The legislation was introduced by Ms Mackay, a Green MSP, and is designed to protect women from harassment. It contains a provision to extend the size of the buffer zones if it is deemed proportionate. Ms Mackay said: 'Safe access zones were introduced to protect patients and staff at our hospitals, and, for the most part, that is what they are doing. 'But at QEUH we have seen protests continuing on one of the main entry routes to the hospital. 'The QEUH in Glasgow has quite unique challenges due to its location compared to other hospitals. 'From the correspondence that I and others have received, there are concerns about the patients and staff having no choice but to pass the protests.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act allows ministers to extend the size of a zone if it is considered necessary to protect those accessing or providing services from impacts prohibited under the Act. 'However, before taking such a step, it is essential that ministers are satisfied such an extension is appropriate. 'We take Ms Mackay's comments extremely seriously and will discuss the matter further with the relevant Health Board as an immediate next step.'
Daily Record
26-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Scottish Government told to consider expanding abortion buffer zones around hospitals
The Scottish Government must consider expanding the size of the buffer zone around a hospital where anti-abortion demonstrations are banned, the MSP behind the legislation has said. Gillian Mackay said protesters have been gathering just outside the 200m exclusion zone around the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow. The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill came into effect in September and creates areas around medical facilities where terminations are performed, to stop anti-abortion protesters gathering. The legislation was introduced by Ms Mackay, a Green MSP, and is designed to protect women from harassment. It contains a provision to extend the size of the buffer zones if it is deemed proportionate. Ms Mackay said: "Safe access zones were introduced to protect patients and staff at our hospitals, and, for the most part, that is what they are doing. "But at QEUH we have seen protests continuing on one of the main entry routes to the hospital. "The QEUH in Glasgow has quite unique challenges due to its location compared to other hospitals. "From the correspondence that I and others have received, there are concerns about the patients and staff having no choice but to pass the protests." A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act allows ministers to extend the size of a zone if it is considered necessary to protect those accessing or providing services from impacts prohibited under the Act. "However, before taking such a step, it is essential that ministers are satisfied such an extension is appropriate. "We take Ms Mackay's comments extremely seriously and will discuss the matter further with the relevant Health Board as an immediate next step."
