When I arrived at the abortion clinic in south London, four protesters – three women and one man – were gathered on the opposite side of the road together with an image of the Virgin Mary, which was draped in a rosary bead. They silently mouthed a prayer, and asked not to be interrupted.
Protesters outside abortion clinics, standing with signs – sometimes displaying graphic images of fetuses – have become the norm. This can be worrying and disturbing for some women who are going to have the procedure, who are sometimes approached by these individuals. The same goes for the health staff working in the clinic.
On Thursday, new legislation was introduced making it illegal to “influence, harass or harass” anyone using or arranging a pregnancy termination service within a 150m (492ft) radius of an abortion clinic in England and Wales. It will also be illegal to stand and pray silently in the same zone.
The changes follow similar bans in Northern Ireland in 2023 and in Scotland in September.
Abortion buffer zones have long been campaigned for by some and opposed by others. Violators of the new law will be fined indefinitely.
This law aims to create stronger protections for women accessing these health services – especially at a time when the topic of abortion is aggressively discussed around the world. However, critics say this comes at the expense of free speech.
There must have been protesters outside the MSI Reproductive Choices abortion clinic in Brixton. It’s one I’ve walked past many times. When I arrived to report for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, there were two men flanking the clinic gate holding rosary beads and carrying leaflets.
It seems to be a well-coordinated and thought-out operation – even down to the fact that the people praying knew directly directed me to speak to the two people at the gate. So we crossed the street and did just that.
Richard, who said he was here representing a Catholic charity that said it offers “proper counseling for pregnant women”, had been at the center for five weeks.
I asked him if there were any circumstances in which he believed abortion was acceptable, and he told me no.
I challenge him in the event that the woman has become pregnant as a result of rape. He said abortions can lead to remorse and “we must cry with (the victims) and be empathetic”. Terminations can be traumatic, she says.
When I asked how he could understand this as a person, he said there was research on the topic – although he did not mention a specific paper. He said, “you don’t need to be a certain type to know about another type”.
I asked them both if they could understand how some women would find his presence intimidating, unkind and un-Christian – especially if they have had difficult experiences with men. It was not a view that could be reconciled with his own belief that he was trying to save lives.
Richard believes that protesters like him are intimidated “from a certain image, perhaps not from England” and says that he and others are not aggressive.
Unlike America and other countries, abortion in England is not a major political issue during general and local elections.
The number of abortions is increasing. There will be 251,377 abortions in England and Wales in 2022 – the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967, and a 17% increase on the previous year.
Public opinion polls across the country show only growing support for women’s right to access abortion. The latest social attitudes study from the National Center for Social Research shows support for abortion has increased, although support is slightly less universal when there are no health risks.
Three-quarters of people surveyed in 2022 support a woman’s right to have an abortion because she does not want to have children, up from 37% in 1983. This figure rises to 89% when there is a high probability of having a serious child. health conditions, and 95% when a woman’s health is seriously threatened by pregnancy.
Seventy-two percent believe abortion should be allowed if a couple can no longer bear children, and 68% if a woman is unmarried and does not want to marry.
Ailish McEntee, midwife responsible for adult and child care at MSI Reproductive Choices, one of the UK’s largest abortion providers, welcomes the buffer zone. He said he had to calm down some of the women who had been spoken to or received by protesters on their way to appointments.
“Women have had people scream ‘murderer’ or shout ‘mommy’ and say they’re going to pray and it’s a horrible experience,” she said.
I challenge him on the right of people to free speech, to protest and to be able to express their religious beliefs in this country. He acknowledged the right was important but said the location of the expression was also important.
He told us that women should not deal with protests, dissent, shame or arguments about how to receive health care, especially when some women experience abuse by men – because this is their specialty and care.
Ailish’s account conflicts with Richard’s. He said he had seen protesters stopping women and trying hard to prevent them from entering.
Two people I interviewed said that they don’t know what they will do from today when the law changes; whether they will continue to show up, but further away, or not come at all.
Time will tell. But when I left I saw a man from the community take one of the protestors, angry at them should not be there. On this day – maybe not.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, information and support is available through BBC Action Line.
