Abortion services safe access zones Bill has been launched

It has been submitted.

A Bill has been launched and submitted to the Seanad that aims to introduce safe access zones outside maternity hospitals and clinics that would provide abortion services. Launched and drafted by the campaign group Together for Safety, the private members Bill has been submitted to the Seanad and is looking to create a 100-metre safe access zone around areas where abortion or contraceptive services are carried out. The Department of Health has also begun to draft its own legislation which is aiming to protect women and staff from people outside these facilities trying to harass and intimidate them. These safe access zones were meant to be introduced in 2019 along with the abortion services but the legislation is yet to be made. The campaigners for this new bill say that the rights of those accessing this healthcare and those protesting are both being considered. Creating a 100 metre bubble around these facilities means that there are certain things that will be banned from happening here under new laws. People would be banned from expressing or demonstrating their support or opposition to the issue at hand, including stopping a person and trying to advise them or persuade them not to access abortion services, praying, holding signs, or recording others entering and exiting the buildings. The campaign group said: "We have been campaigning for the last year for the implementation of Safe Access Zones. We have submitted a private members bill to Seanad Eireann. "Our bill will create a 100 metre safe access zone around anywhere where pregnant people may be attempting to access abortion. "Our bill attempts to balance the right to protest with the right to healthcare and privacy. We have written to all senators and civil society groups to ensure that our bill is fair, robust, and fit for purpose."