Rose Docherty, a 74-year-old Scottish woman who was the primary to be arrested under the Scotland’s controversial abortion clinic “buffer zone” laws, has said she is willing to go to prison quite than accept any accusations of wrongdoing.
Docherty was arrested outside Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. She had been standing silently with an indication that read “Coercion is a criminal offense, here to speak, only for those who want”.
She was arrested under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act, which forbids protests or vigils from happening inside 650 feet of certain abortion clinics. Under the law, harassing, disturbing and even attempting to influence a lady attempting to use an abortion facility is forbidden.
Docherty rejects the notion that she breached the law, noting that she had done none of those things and was simply making a suggestion of conversation.
She told the BBC, “The reason for us standing there and praying was so that individuals could see there was help in the event that they wanted to come back and access it. Now to be moved to a unique location means you’re less visible and that supply of assistance is less visible.”
Docherty also took issue with claims that she is an element of a protest movement, “It’s actually not a protest group … it’s a peaceful prayer group offering an alternate help and support if people want to come back and ask for help and support.”
Her future is currently uncertain after she refused to just accept what she called an “unjust” warning. A letter from the Crown Office informed her that she wouldn’t be prosecuted if she accepted a warning from the procurator fiscal.
Having refused the warning, the ball is now very much with the procurator fiscal.
Docherty admitted that she had no idea what might occur next, but said that, if it got here to it, she can be willing to go to prison for her actions.
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