The British government has resisted pressure to introduce a nationwide ban on pro-life vigils outside abortion clinics.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said that legislation already exists to "restrict protest activities that cause harm to others", including the 1986 Public Order Act. This act, he pointed out, already gives police the power to stop protests that could cause "serious public disorder" or intimidate others.
Javid had been under pressure from pro-abortion MPs and lobbyists to impose so-called "buffer zones" around abortion clinics across the country following claims pro-lifers were harassing women – claims pro-life campaigners strongly deny.
