Anti-abortion protesters outside clinics

[VillaVillekulla]

Sorry if this has already been posted but there's a particularly nasty anti-abortion campaign going on outside a London GP clinic (which offers medical abortions) at the moment. Protesters are harassing women going in and out of the clinic and holding up pictures of aborted foetuses. There's a petition about it here and info on how to write to the local MP.

I'm not sure what the solution is tbh. I wouldn't want to propose anything that curtails anyone's right to protest or to free speech (eg. ban protests near clinics). But nor can I accept that women should be subject to this kind of harassment on their way into a clinic.

Fair point, Lonny. And I appreciate that not all countries are like the UK.

I don't agree with religious nutters protesting if they are harassing women. But I am interested in how people draw the conclusion that women's rights aren't worth protecting. Because the people who are accused of thinking this would be the people who helped to create the rights under law in the first place.

FWIW I signed the petition.

Weeellllll, in the UK we have a good record on legislation protecting women's rights, I would agree with that.

However there does seem to be a bit of a gap between law and practice, doesn't there? Like, the equal pay act has been enshrined in law since 1970 - my whole life! - and yet, on average, women's pay isn't equal to men's. (God that's actually quite depressing)

So it seems to me that culture and practice haven't yet caught up with law - and indeed that's the same in this situation. We have a law which protects women's rights (to a certain extent), but it's seen as fair game to try and take it away from us.

culture and practice haven't yet caught up with law

Yes, this is often the case. But do you think that is the case here? I see religious fanatics on one side, and women going about their lawful business on the other. Do we know if there is a police presence at the scene of the protest? Has one been requested? Have any incidents been reported? If the answer is yes, and the police are turning a blind eye, then I agree with you. Bear in mind I have not seen any of these scenes. But within a democratic, free society, listening to idiots is a price we have to pay, I'm afraid. The empty vessel makes the most noise.

I am with you on that. So what is missing here? Has action been requested from the authorities that has been refused?

I can see here that members of this protest group were prosecuted two years ago;

Daily Telegraph article

Nojacket
Unfortunately, this was the outcome:
Guardian link

One of the comments underneath that Guardian article says:
"It would have been a sad day for freedom of speech if these two had been convicted''

As, another commenter noted:
It is indeed a sad day when harassment and intimidation is seen as free speech.

I'm a member of Abortion Rights and I think I'm right in saying that in previous cases of protests outside clinics the help of local authorities and police was sought and their response was pretty much "we don't like it but there's nothing we can do, they're free to protest in public spaces". I wonder if what's needed is for one of the women using the clinic or one of the staff their to lodge a complaint with the police saying they personally felt they were harassed. Maybe an individual complaint would have more clout than the clinic complaining.

Signed. Tweet about to be sent.