Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government’s position on buffer zones around abortion clinics has changed since the outcome of the Abortion Clinic Protest Review in 2018.

The Government is clear that it is unacceptable that patients seeking healthcare advice or staff working in healthcare facilities should feel intimidated or harassed.

Since the review in 2018, the Government has continued to keep the matter of abortion-related protests outside clinics under review. Having considered the evidence, the Government continues to believe that national buffer zones outside abortion clinics in England and Wales would be disproportionate.

Existing laws enable the police and local authorities to deal with harmful protests and the Government expects the police and local authorities to use their powers appropriately.