New “safe access zones” surrounding facilities providing abortion services, within which protests will be prohibited, are to come into operation next month.
Legislation passed earlier this year allowed for the establishment of “safe access zones” of 100m from an entrance or exit to a premises where obstetricians/gynaecologists and general practitioners provide services. These include consulting rooms, family planning clinics and women’s health clinics.
The Department of Health said at the time that, within those zones, “certain conduct aimed at impeding access or influencing decisions in relation to termination of pregnancy services will be prohibited”.
The new Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Act commencement order says that Thursday, October 17th, will be the day that the new arrangements will come into operation. The statutory instrument was laid before the Oireachtas in recent days.
Speaking in May after the passing of the legislation, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that the fundamental premise behind it was that it was about respect.
“It is about dignity. It is about ensuring that people can access healthcare services and feel safe and not be intimidated.
“It aims to ensure that our friends, colleagues, and family members are treated with consideration and empathy at a time when they need care.”
Mr Donnelly said he had listened to women, families, and healthcare professionals. He maintained that they had “unequivocally expressed their support for this Bill”.
“I am pleased that we have reached this milestone,” he said.
The Department of Health said that “within those zones, certain conduct aimed at impeding access or influencing decisions in relation to termination of pregnancy services will be prohibited”.
In the Seanad debate on the Bill, Independent Senator Rónán Mullen described it as a “sad piece of legislation”.
He maintained that Mr Donnelly had nothing to be proud of about it.
He said Mr Donnelly “has got an easy win for himself by caving in to an activist group and by attacking the peaceful expression of dissent on abortion”.
A law on safe access zones around abortion providers – the first of its kind in the UK – came into effect in Northern Ireland in September 2023 .
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