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The statement comes as MPs in England and Wales have also expressed concern about the direction of religious freedom in their jurisdictions as the Public Order Bill moves through Parliament.
Section 9 of the bill proposes to establish ‘buffer zones’ around abortion clinics across the country, which campaigners argue will have a detrimental effect on access to women facing crisis pregnancies while raising fundamental questions about freedom of religion and expression.
Article 9 faced considerable scrutiny in the House of Lords on November 22 as allies across the political spectrum expressed dismay at the introduction of a buffer zone.
According to a statement from ADF International, Section 9 of the Public Order Bill prohibits not only “harassment” but also “informing”, “advising”, “influencing”, “persuading” and “expressing opinions” outside abortion facilities. .
During the debate on Tuesday, Baroness Claire Fox of Buckley said: “If we pass Article 9, why don’t other organizations demand buffer zones around their special case facilities? If we consider that Article 9 defines buffer zones as “150 meters from … “Any access point to any building or site that houses an abortion clinic” is too broadly defined, doesn’t that potentially make all kinds of protests in hospitals illegal? If you want to organize a vigil outside a hospital, in which, for example , have children died due to negligence, as in the recent maternity services scandal? What about the rally against the use of puberty blockers on teenagers? Will that be banned too?”
Commenting on her experience, Tossi-Bolt said in a statement on November 24: “Everyone has the freedom to pray peacefully in a public place. I would never dream of doing something that would cause intimidation and harassment. We followed the new rules established by the council and did not pray in the censorship zone. Yet, these prayer-patrol officers tried to scare us from exercising our freedom of thought and expression – in the form of prayer – which has been a foundational part of our society for generations.
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