Legislation introducing Safe Access Zones around abortion clinics in England and Wales moves through House of Commons

Legislation introducing Safe Access Zones around abortion clinics in England and Wales clears another milestone by moving through the House of Commons

London, 8^th March 2023

On 7th March, an amendment to the Public Order Bill that would introduce Safe Access Zones around abortion clinics in England and Wales passed its most significant milestone, (by moving through the House of Commons) which means it’s on the way to becoming law. This followed a vote in the Commons in favour of Safe Access Zones in October 2022, and the amendment passing the Lords in January. 

Last year, the House of Commons voted in favour of an amendment to the Public Order Bill introducing Safe Access Zones (also known as ‘buffer zones’) around abortion clinics across England and Wales. This was a tremendous milestone which showed a clear democratic mandate for protecting clinics from harassment.

In January, the legislation passed through the House of Lords, where Peers had the opportunity to debate a cross-party amendment that would introduce Safe Access Zones. We were delighted to see so many Peers back the amendment, and to see the amendment pass.

Yesterday we moved one step closer to Safe Access Zones becoming a reality in England and Wales, as legislation introducing them cleared another milestone by moving through the House of Commons. This is a key step towards ensuring that everyone can access abortion care, free from harassment. Find out more about the next steps here.

You can read the amendment, which would introduce Safe Access Zones around abortion clinics here. Read the case for Safe Access Zones from our partners The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), including testimony from MSI UK, here.

For further information please contact:

Email: press@mischoices.org

Telephone: +44 (0) 7769 166 516

To find out more

To read our statement on last year’s House of Commons vote in favour of Safe Access Zones, click on the link below: 

• MSI Reproductive Choices UK comment on UK Government vote in favour of national legislation on abortion clinic buffer zones

To read more about Safe Access Zones and why we have been campaigning for national legislation, read our blogs at the links below: 

• Why we advocate for national legislation on abortion clinic buffer zones
• Will there ever be abortion clinic buffer zones?