On May 2, Britain's Public Order Act 2023 gained Royal Assent. Section 9 of the Act (full text) creates a 150 meter safe access zone around any abortion clinic.The section provides in part:
It is an offence for a person who is within a safe access zone to do an act with the intent of, or reckless as to whether it has the effect of—
(a)influencing any person’s decision to access, provide or facilitate the provision of abortion services at an abortion clinic,
(b)obstructing or impeding any person accessing, providing, or facilitating the provision of abortion services at an abortion clinic, or
(c)causing harassment, alarm or distress to any person in connection with a decision to access, provide, or facilitate the provision of abortion services at an abortion clinic....
where the person mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) is within the safe access zone for the abortion clinic.
The Secretary of State must still promulgate the effective date of this section. Law & Religion UK has more on the new law.
