YOU could soon be fined for praying outside an abortion clinic in Somerset.

Somerset West and Taunton Council is consulting on plans for public space protection orders (PSPOs) to cut down anti-social behaviour across Taunton.

One of the PSPOs includes the abortion clinic on Castle Street, run by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS).

The clinic claims the PSPO is necessary to stop people who need to use its services from being harassed, shamed or intimidated.

But Christian campaigners have said the order threatens freedom of speech and religion.

What does the PSPO propose?

PSPOs were introduced under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, and allow councils to restrict certain behaviours in a given area to tackle “nuisance or problem behaviour”.

The orders allow either the police or council officers to take swift action against anti-social behaviour, drinking, begging or public urination in the area in question.

If the PSPO is approved by the council later this year, the following activities will be prohibited near the clinic and on Castle Street in general:

 

Protesting (either for or against) over abortion services provided in the area – including placards or prayer

Interfering, either verbally or physically, with a service user or staff member

Intimidating or harassing a service user or staff member

Recording a service user or staff member in the “safe zone”

Displaying text or images relating to the termination of pregnancy

Playing or using amplified music, voice or audio recordings

Those found in breach of the orders could face a £100 fixed penalty notice or fines of up to £1,000 if they are convicted in court – with any money being used by the council’s Streetwise team to improve the town centre.

The order provides no guidance as to how each part of the order will be enforced – for instance, how a police officer is expected to differentiate between prayer and someone having their eyes closed.

What has the clinic said about this?

The BPAS was created in 1968 as a registered charity, to “provide a safe, legal abortion service.”

Despite abortion being legalised the previous year, many NHS hospitals either did not provide or sanction the service, and private abortions were often prohibitively expensive.

Rachael Clarke, the charity’s public affairs and advocacy manager, said the order was necessary to ensure people who needed abortions could access them safely without fear of intimidation.

She said: “BPAS Taunton has been dealing with anti-abortion activity outside its door for several months now.

“The women we treat report being filmed, intimidated, distressed, and degraded. They tell us that the people outside stare at them as they try to access services, hold up anti-abortion signs and are aggressive with women and passers-by.

“This type of activity is not unusual for the UK, but the impact in Taunton has been severe. We share our building with SWISH sexual health services and are aware that their clients are also being impacted by the people outside.”

Ms Clarke said the police had been called multiple times to deal with such disturbances – but that the existing law was “not sufficient to deal with these people”.

She added: “We’ve worked with a number of councils towards implementing PSPOs to stop anti-abortion activity at the clinic gate.

“What we know from this work is that it’s incredibly important that the action the council takes is evidence-based and proportionate.

“Women deserve to be protected from hostile activity as they seek to access healthcare – and until we get national legislation to specifically stop it, it’s up to the police and council to determine the best way that this can be done.”

What about pro-life groups?

Away from the practical question of how the PSPO could be reasonably enforced, pro-life groups have criticised the order for infringing on both freedom of speech and freedom to worship.

Clare McCullough represents the Good Counsel Network, a Christian organisation which provides “practical help to those seeking abortion” and presents women with “realistic alternatives” to such a procedure.

The group has been campaigning against abortion since 1997 and holds daily prayer vigils outside clinics – though it denies being involved in any harassment of individuals, in Taunton or elsewhere.

Ms McCullough said: “We are really sorry to see the right to peaceful prayer and an offer of help to pregnant women being criminalised yet again.

“If there really was harassment at these vigils, there would be police records of complaints and CCTV footage of people being harassed. Instead each area that brings in a buffer zone offers lists of unsubstantiated testimony, never naming or describing particular individuals or groups as harassers but generally casting aspersions on all pro-life people.

“The UK needs to protect the right of people to free speech more than ever at the moment, when we are subject to so many other restrictions, we don’t need to be shutting down prayer.”

Is the NHS involved in this?

The Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust operates the SWISH sexual health clinic in the same building on Castle Street.

However, the trust has said it has had not requested the order.

A spokeswoman said: “We haven’t requested this and have not been contacted by the council. We don’t provide the abortion services on this site.”

The trust did not specify whether it would be making a formal representation during the consultation.

How can I have my say?

Full details about all the proposed PSPOs – including maps of the areas being covered – are available on the council’s website.

To have your say, visit  www.somersetwestandtaunton.gov.uk/pspo before April 10.