Carla Lockhart, a DUP Member of Parliament, hopes last week’s decision to not prosecute a grandmother for holding an indication inside an abortion clinic buffer zone will lead to vary across the UK.
She has welcomed the news that the Scottish Procurator Fiscal is not going to be prosecuting Glaswegian Rose Docherty, 75.
Harassment, intimidation, or influencing decisions about abortion aren’t permitted throughout the controversial zones.
Docherty was arrested in February after standing in a buffer zone silently and holding an indication that read “Coercion is a criminal offense, here to speak, only when you want”.
Docherty maintains that her presence within the zone didn’t contravene any of those restrictions.
It made international headlines when it was confirmed last week that the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland had decided against pursuing a prosecution against her.
Lockhart, MP for Upper Bann, welcomed the news, saying within the Belfast News Letter, “We have consistently raised concerns that buffer zones by their very nature not only seek to curtail free speech but can criminalise the private thoughts of a person.
“This of Rose Docherty represents a big victory for common sense and for the protection of fundamental freedoms.”
Lockhart added that she hoped the Docherty decision would set a precedent, not only in Scotland, but across the broader United Kingdom.
She noted that Docherty’s just isn’t the one such case. Another notable case is Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who stays under investigation despite being cleared twice previously.
Docherty’s has been one of the high-profile, though, attracting the eye of the US State Department, which called on Scotland to respect freedom of expression for all.
Lockhart said, “Whilst it’s a victory and sets a precedent in Scotland, we should always all hope that it may additionally signal a change across the United Kingdom as an entire.”
Vaughan-Spruce, who’s co-director of March for Life UK, has faced multiple investigations and arrests for silently praying near an abortion clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham.
Lockhart continued, “No-one should forget that these laws aren’t about tackling harassment or abuse.
“They are based on the notion of ‘influence’ being an offence. As we’ve witnessed, this may then be used against someone standing peacefully and even silently on the street.”
