COUNCILLORS in the capital will formally “express interest” to the Scottish Government about the city becoming a test authority to set up a buffer zone around an abortion clinic.
On Monday, Nicola Sturgeon convened an emergency summit on the prospect of protecting women accessing healthcare facilities, fee from harassment and intimidation by protesters.
She said the Scottish Government would stand behind any local authority that faced a legal challenge for creating zones to prevent “fear, harassment or intimidation”.
It followed increasingly noisy and visible protests by anti-abortion campaigners outside the Sandyford Clinic in Glasgow and Chalmers Centre in Edinburgh.
The First Minister said she was ready to “dig in” for a protracted legal battle to get nation-wide buffer zone law through Holyrood and onto the statute book.
Ms Sturgeon also said she hoped Glasgow and Edinburgh would use bylaws to create the zones as a short-term measure.
Now, Edinburgh City Council has formally agreed that it will approach the Scottish Government and work with ministers and Cosla, the umbrella organisation for Scottish local authorities, “to express an interest in Edinburgh being considered as one of the test councils” to try and use bylaws to create buffer zones.
The expression of interest is subject to further legal advice on how potential hurdles could be overcome.
SNP councillor Kate Campbell, who put forward the motion, that was unanimously agreed by councillors, said: “On Monday, the First Minister said she wanted to get round a table with Cosla and any willing councils to talk about how to overcome legal barriers to implementing buffer zones. The motion was simple. It was to express interest in being one of the test councils and take part in those discussions.
“I brought the motion because Edinburgh needs to be around that table so that women can access healthcare, free from fear and harassment. It’s horrendous that women are terrified to accessed medical care.
“I was delighted, especially after the brutal attack on abortion rights last week, that our council unanimously approved the motion.”
Until now, Scottish councils have been reluctant to use bylaws to create spaces around clinics for fear of legal cases.
Council umbrella group Cosla also obtained legal advice noting the UK Supreme Court had ruled protesters have a right to be noisy and disruptive.
The Scottish Government initially refused to legislate but was prompted to act by new Green MSP Gillian Mackay proposing her own Bill to create 150m buffer zones around clinics free from demonstrators.
Aberdeen’s Lord Provost rejected an emergency motion seeking to express interest in the city becoming a test case for a buffer zone. – claiming the issue was not urgent enough.
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