Northern Ireland abortion protest buffer zones: PSNI will not arrest pro-life clerics in churches inside new abortion Safe Access Zones

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 by protestors.

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

​Pro-life supporters were involved in a brief stand-off with police in Co Armagh at the weekend during a planned protest close to Craigavon Area Hospital.

The PSNI said a small number of people entered a short distance into a safe access zone, but all left when police engaged with them and provided advice.

On Monday the organisers of the parade said that the new buffer zones covered a number of places of worship across Northern Ireland.

A spokesman from Abolish Abortion NI said: “People are very concerned the legislation has been written in such an open-ended manner there is much debate as to the interpretation of the legislation. There is a real concern that this will impact civil and religious liberties more widely.”

He said the Bradbury Place zone in Belfast covers two churches, a planned mosque and an Orange hall, and the zone around the Ulster Hospital also covers a church.

However, the PSNI insisted that religious leaders inside such buildings will not be criminalised if they preach or pray against abortion.

Police advised the News Letter: “Safe Access Zones only apply to the strictly designated public space areas. Places of worship within a Safe Access Zone are not public areas.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health agreed, citing section 5 of the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act (Northern Ireland) 2023.

“The zones apply strictly to the public areas within the designated area around trust premises as stated, not to private premises including churches,” she said.

“Protected premises are premises where treatment, information, advice or counselling relating to the lawful termination of pregnancy is provided in accordance with the Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No.2) Regulations 2020, and where the approved operator of the premises has notified the Department of Health that they wish to establish a Safe Access Zone.

“The Safe Access Zone includes the protected premises, as well as the public area outside the protected premises which lies within a distance between 100m-250m from each entrance to, or exit from, those premises, as set by the operator of the premises.

“The Safe Access Zone requirements do not apply to private properties. However, anyone living, working in or visiting private properties within the Safe Access Zone will be required to abide by the zone requirements when in the designated public spaces.”

Abolish Abortion NI acknowledged the clarification.

“It appears that this totalitarian imposition interferes with the free expression and religious activities that are conducted outside of their premises,” the spokesman said. “This is a clear violation of freedom of expression.”