MORE than one hundred anti-abortion protesters – standing neatly in a row and holding lanterns – gathered outside Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital last Sunday evening.
It marked the end of a series of “vigils” organised by Texas-based group 40 Days for Life – which are held every year during Lent.
But this was the first set of vigils since buffer zone legislation passed the Scottish Parliament last year, which sees anti-abortion protests within 200 metres of abortion service providers banned.
It was a big test for the legislation. And one it largely passed – after all, the vigils (below) were held outside the buffer zone.
But some have expressed concern over those who will still have had to drive past them on their way to the maternity clinic.
This included Scottish Greens MSP Gillian Mackay, who spearheaded the legislation and has said the Scottish Government should look into extending the zone in certain locations.
“Given the protests we have seen over the course of this 40 Days for Life campaign, I think it's something the Scottish Government should be looking at,” she told the Sunday National.
“Certainly, it's something that I've been speaking to ministers behind the scenes about and I'm certainly considering writing to them formally to request that they have a look at this.”
Mackay (below) said there is a particularly strong case for an increased zone outside the Queen Elizabeth.
“We were always aware during the passage of the bill that it potentially was one of the first ones that we'd need looked at in terms of extending just because of the geography around it, and how you get into and out of the hospital itself,” she said – something there is provisions in the bill for due to that reason.
Mackay also said there’s a “couple of others” that may have similar features to the Queen Elizabeth that could be extended at the same time, but wouldn’t specify which ones exactly to prevent “drawing attention” to them.
"But the Queen Elizabeth, I think, does have to be the first focus,” she added.
How effective has the buffer zones legislation been so far?
THE buffer zones have been breached in recent weeks. First, on February 19, 74-year-old Rose Docherty became the first person to be arrested for demonstrating near the same Glasgow hospital.
A protest and “light display” was also held by the Scottish Family Party at Mercat Cross in Aberdeen a few weeks later.
The party – who, as well as wanting to see abortion rights rolled back, oppose same-sex marriage, sperm and egg donation, and the clause banning harassment in the Equality Act – admitted the protest was held within the buffer zone around the Aberdeen Community Health and Care Village, which extends over much of Mercat Cross. But no-one was arrested.
The group shared a photo of six protesters standing outside the Chalmers Centre on Saturday evening – well within the mapped buffer zone.
Under the legislation – Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024 – it does not matter if the service centre is open or closed when the protest takes place.
They were alongside signs saying “unborn lives matter” and claiming that “2392 lives [had been] lost to abortion in one year”.
Mackay said it’s “still quite frustrating” to see protesters outside the hospital “whether that’s in the zone or not”.
She added this was particularly the case “having heard the testimony that we have during the passage of the bill, knowing how upsetting that this is for people attending hospitals right across the campus, and not just on the maternity and neonatal side of things”.
When it comes to recent protests outside the Queen Elizabeth buffer zone, Back Off Scotland, which launched the campaign to introduce them, said that it was “unfortunate”.
“However, I want to also highlight that in a typical 40 Days for Life period, we'd get well over 50 complaints and testimonies. But in this recent round, we had less than 5,” co-founder Lucy Grieve told the Sunday National.
“And I think that's a testament to the buffer zones largely working.”
She said that the group will not be looking to campaign to extend the zones until they see an uptick in the number of complaints.
“I'd also say that it's a difficult one. We've always said that a balance needs to be struck legally and rights-wise, and we said that 200m would do that,” Grieve said.
“So, that's why we won't be campaigning for a larger zone. If there are complaints, and whenever we do get somebody messaging, we will forward them on to Gillian and the Scottish Government and their health board.”
She added: “People will message us often about displays and protests they see in Buchanan Street, for example. Big graphic billboards of foetuses, for example. I think that's absolutely abhorrent, and I think what they're doing is very damaging. But we've always maintained that people have the right to hold these views, and they have the right to freedom of speech. And taking that away from the clinic door and the clinic gate was the goal.”
Grieve (above left) also stressed how the legislation now means that those going into a clinic will likely not be targeted.
“A lot of the reason for why we wanted buffer zones was because people were being personally targeted for going into a clinic,” she said.
“Now they're so far away that they wouldn't know who was going into a clinic because they can't see that you're entering the site.”
Grieve added: “I hope that people can find comfort in knowing that these people can't track you anymore. But if it's still affecting you and you're somebody accessing abortion or performing abortions or a staff member at the hospital – or even if you're going for other forms of healthcare – you definitely should get in touch with us. We can signpost you to the health board, or Gillian or the Scottish Government.”
