Local residents and borough visitors have expressed major concerns about the activities of anti-abortion campaigners have to been gathering outside the borough’s two centres.
Lambeth encourages residents, visitors, and service users to continue to report any incidents at the two clinics on its website at www.lambeth.gov.uk/abortion-clinic-incident – and works with the Police, MSI Reproductive Choices and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service to analyse the impacts and to design the right response.
Cllr Jim Dickson, Lambeth’s joint Cabinet Member Healthier Communities, said: “We have worked alongside British Pregnancy Advisory Service for some time on their campaign to ensure safe access zones around abortion clinics and we’re delighted that they have finally been voted into law. We hope that this means that in future women will be able to access the reproductive health services that are their right free from harassment.
“We are committed to implementing the legislation to create buffer zones at the earliest moment.”
Following a vote in Parliament on March 7 buffer zones are set to become law, with anti-abortion campaigners having to stand at least 150 meters away from clinics providing abortions or risk a fine and up to six months in prison if they’re found harassing, obstructing, or interfering with any woman attending. These new zones apply to every clinic and hospital providing abortion care in England and Wales.
