Northern Ireland abortion buffer zones: PSNI will advise pro-life parade in Portadown against intruding into new 'safe access zone' at Craigavon Area Hospital – or face arrest

The Department of Health says the zones are intended to protect women and girls accessing abortion services and information - and staff helping them - from being impeded, recorded, influenced, harassed, alarmed or distressed.

Anyone guilty of breaching the law will be guilty of a criminal offence and liable to a fine of £500.

The “United March For The Unborn” has been organised from Portadown town centre to Craigavon Area Hospital tomorrow, Saturday.

Organisers, Abolition Abortion NI, have told the Parades Commission they expect upwards of 500 people to take part.

The zones were created following the passing of a Private Member’s Bill from former Green Party leader Clare Bailey at Stormont last year.

She advised MLAs that women accessing abortion advice centres in NI were being harassed and intimidated by protestors.

The lead organiser for the parade spoke to the News Letter on condition his name was not used as they are "

They met with the PSNI on Thursday about the event. It is understood they have invited the PSNI to address participants in the town centre and at the hospital to advise them on how not to infringe the new law.

"The police are obviously very concerned operationally. They want to ensure the safety of everyone and include our rights to protest as well.

"But they have made it very clear that the zone prohibits all Christian activity. Prayer will not be allowed within the zone, unlike in England or like anywhere else in the world."

"It is the principle that once territory is gone like this, the argument can be made for lots of other territories to have free speech zones. And that is how the erosion of our freedoms takes place."

He estimates over 1000 abortions have taken place in Craigavon Area Hospital since abortion laws were relaxed in Northern Ireland in March 2020.

Earlier this week PSNI Superintendent Amanda Ford urged those parading not to breach the new law.

“We will be policing this with the ‘Four Es’ approach of engage, explain, encourage and enforce if required,” she said.

“Any person found to be doing an act as defined by the legislation, within a safe access zone, could face a fine of up to £500. We would expect that persons will respect the zone, to avoid any requirement for police action, which may lead to an arrest.”

The Department of Health notes that the law was passed by a majority of MLAs and upheld by the Supreme Court.

This week West Midlands Police dropped a six-month investigation into pro-life protestor Isabel Vaughan-Spruce for praying inside a buffer zone in Birmingham. The case was dropped after Home Secretary Suella Braverman wrote to British police forces advising that “silent prayer, in itself, is not unlawful” in such zones. The PSNI confirmed it has had sight of the letter.

• The new NI zones can be seen at: www.health-ni.gov.uk/safe-access-zones