Less than four years ago, preborn children were protected from abortion in Ireland. Now, those ministering to women in need and working to save the lives of these children are facing a possible threat of jail time. It’s hard to call abortion a woman’s “choice,” if she is prohibited from hearing any alternatives and those who can help her make her decision are forbidden to speak.
Irish lawmakers are considering a bill that would implement buffer zones outside abortion facilities, as the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) is calling for the legislature to act on the bill “without further delay,” while also suggesting that all pro-life sidewalk counselors who violate the law and enter those zones face jail time of up to two years.
The Irish Times reports that in a press release calling for enactment of the “safe zones” — or buffer zone areas — on Thursday, the IHREC claimed that the presence of pro-lifers was “harmful to the wellbeing of women accessing abortion services” and “not rare.”
READ: Ireland set to form special committee to consider legalizing assisted suicide
The bill in question would create 100-meter zones around the entrance of abortion facilities and hospitals where abortions are committed. All pro-life activity, including peaceful prayer and sidewalk counseling, would be prohibited within these zones. According to the Irish Times, the bill prohibits “conduct… which is intended to or may reasonably have the effect of influencing the decision of a person in relation to availing of, or providing, termination of pregnancy services, or interfering [with availing of abortion], or both.” (emphasis added)
IHREC said, “an anti-abortion perspective is in many instances linked to strong religious beliefs, with some people feeling a religious or moral duty to protest even at the expense of upsetting or distressing other people.”
“The decision to terminate involves an exercise of core personal autonomy, in a deeply private context. A stranger seeking to interfere with or influence that decision through confrontation is likely to cause tremendous upset at a difficult time,” the commission wrote.
Despite these claims, there are many instances around the world where sidewalk counselors have helped women and families who felt like abortion was their only option. Just recently, a young couple in Philadelphia thanked sidewalk counselor Mark Houck for saving the life of their preborn child from abortion. The couple praised Houck and the pro-life community who rallied around them and helped them through their pregnancy, saying, “The pro-lifers definitely were there for us every step of the way.”
The IHREC isn’t content with just stopping pro-life activity with a buffer zone — they’re actually calling for the imposition of jail time for violators of the law, writing, “As such, the commission considers that a response that engages the criminal law, as opposed to merely civil remedies like an injunction, is justified since civil measures are not effective to address widespread and repeated protests.”
They added, “The commission considers that it would not be disproportionate to also provide for an indictable offence … with a two-year maximum sentence, for repeat offenders who engage in egregious forms of confrontation.”
