Sister Supporter
Sister Supporter are a British advocacy group who campaign for the introduction of buffer zones around abortion clinics.[1] The group also runs a hotline to gather information about harassment by anti-abortion protestors outside of clinics.[2]
History
[edit]The group was founded in late-2015 in Ealing, in response to harassment by anti-abortion campaigners outside of the local MSI Reproductive Choices clinic.[3] In 2018, after two years of campaigning, the group successfully got the local authority to introduce a buffer zone using a public spaces protection order, the first buffer zone to be implemented in the UK.[4] Following implementation of the buffer zone, reported cases of harassment against the clinic's staff and patients dropped significantly.[5]
In 2020, the group successfully campaigned for the introduction of a buffer zone in Fallowfield, Manchester.[6][7][8]
In July 2022, the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council announced that it would be launching a public consultation on introducing a buffer zone around the Bournemouth British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinic following a campaign by the local Sister Supporter branch, including a petition that received over 4000 signatures.[9][10]
In October 2022, MPs voted in favour of national buffer zone legislation which Ealing group Sister Supporter said will help woman to not receive “anti-choice intimidation and harassment at abortion clinics across England and Wales.” https://ealing.news/news/ealing-group-sister-supporter-set-to-see-its-protected-buffer-zones-for-woman-seeking-abortions-to-be-replicated-in-england-and-wales/
References
[edit]- ^ Snape, Alice (May 30, 2022). "Doctors are calling for 'buffer zones' outside of abortion clinics in the UK". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "We're still fighting for abortion rights in the UK, but we're winning". Dazed. March 13, 2020. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ Schofield, Daisy (July 18, 2022). "The battle for abortion clinic buffer zones in the UK". Huck Magazine. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "How we won the UK's first-ever buffer zone around an abortion clinic". openDemocracy. Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
- ^ Silver, Laura. "Here's How Things Have Changed At The First UK Abortion Clinic To Have A Buffer Zone". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
- ^ Abbit, Beth (October 12, 2020). "Anti-abortion demonstrators banned from protesting outside Manchester clinic". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ Amy Woodyatt. "'Americanized' anti-abortion protests are on the rise in the UK. But a fight back has begun". CNN. Archived from the original on 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
- ^ Lester, Daisy (November 28, 2018). "An interview with Sister Supporter". The Mancunion. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "Bournemouth: Consultation over abortion clinic buffer zone". July 21, 2022. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022 – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ "4,000 people sign petition calling for aborting clinic buffer zone". Bournemouth Echo. Archived from the original on 2022-07-13. Retrieved 2022-07-21.