A woman in England is facing trial for offering help to women seeking an abortion in a censorial “buffer zone” which criminalizes “expressions of approval or disapproval of abortion”.
Livia Tossici-Bolt held a sign that read “here to talk, if you want” near an abortion facility in Bournemouth, England, which prompted several individuals to approach her to discuss issues they were facing in their lives, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) UK.
But, local authorities confronted Tossici-Bolt, alleging she had breached a local abortion “buffer zone” and issued a Fixed Penalty Notice, which Tossici-Bolt refused to pay, on the grounds that she did not breach the terms of the public spaces protection order (PSPO).
She also believes she has the right, as argued by her legal counsel at ADF UK, under Article 10 of the Human Rights Act to have consensual conversations. The Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council proceeded to charge Tossici-Bolt for breaching the “buffer zone” and she now awaits a trial date at Poole Magistates’ Court.
Tossici-Bolt said everyone condemns harassment, but called out “buffer zones” for going so far as to criminalize peaceful and helpful activities.
“For several years now, I have been offering a helping hand to women who would like to consider other options to abortion, and pointing them to options where they can receive financial and practical support, if that’s what they would like,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with offering help. There’s nothing wrong with two adults engaging in a consensual conversation on the street. I shouldn’t be treated like a criminal just for this.”
PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST ARRESTED FOR PRAYING SILENTLY NEAR AN ABORTION FACILITY
In 2023, the UK government passed legislation in the Public Order Act to enforce so-called censorial buffer zones around all abortion facilities, which ban any form of “influence.” Now, the government’s Home Office has issued draft guidance to clarify that the right to pray inside one’s own mind and to engage in consensual conversations of their own free is protected.
ADF has defended multiple similar cases involving “censorship zones,” including one notable instance where a woman was arrested for praying silently near an abortion facility.
“Under vaguely-written local ‘buffer zone’ measures, we have seen volunteers like Livia criminalised simply for offering help to women in need; and others dragged through courts for praying, even silently, in their minds,” Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, said.
“The principle of freedom of thought and speech must be defended both within and outside ‘buffer zones,'” he added. “The Home Office have sought to keep our country in line with international law by protecting freedom of thought and of consensual conversation in the draft buffer zone guidance. It is vital, for the preservation of democracy, that this stands.”
The BCP Council had recently apologized for another incident where Tossici-Bolt was standing alone and holding a sign reading “Pregnant? Need help?” with a helpline number for women in crisis pregnancies.
Officers admitted to making Tossici-Bolt feel “distressed and harassed” when they wrongfully attempted to move her from a public street after accusing her of standing inside a censorial “buffer zone.” The interaction was captured on video.
A BCP Council Spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “For legal reasons, we are unable to provide a comment on proceedings until a judgement on the case has been delivered.”
The spokesperson directed those looking for information on public spaces protection orders here.
Authorities acknowledged in that incident that she was not within the censored “buffer zone,” but claimed the map she brought with her was “confusing” despite the fact that it was a replica of the map found on the council’s own website.
Igunnubole said the incident exposes the reality of the “slippery slope of censorship.”
“If the state is allowed to criminalise the mere holding of prolife viewpoints within certain public spaces, on what basis can we object to criminalisation in all public spaces?” he asked. “The purported blanket bans on prayer and consensual conversations were never about the prevention of harassment and intimidation – after all, in the UK, not a single pro-life vigil volunteer has been convicted for harassment and intimidation in over 40 years of prolife presence near abortion facilities.”
Lorcan Price, legal counsel for ADF International previously told Fox News Digital, that similar cases are popping up across the country as part of a pattern where Christians in the public square are being arrested, harassed or subject to legal restrictions by the authorities simply for saying things that other people find challenging, upsetting or controversial.
“Over the last number of years, increasingly restrictive laws have been passed, introducing a new public order act that seeks to restrict even more the right to speak freely on controversial matters in the public square,” Lorcan Price, legal counsel for ADF International told Fox News Digital. “I’m afraid we’re going to see more of it in the future, because the underlying problem of this instinct towards censorship, particularly of Christians, is still there in police forces, it’s still there in government ministries.”
