This week a Labour MP, Rupa Huq, has introduced an amendment to legislation that would proposes a 2 year jail sentence for anyone praying with women before they go into an abortion centre. Rupa Huq is one of the most vocal supporters of abortion in the House of Commons. Her ammendment seeks to enforce a “buffer zone” outside abortion centers.
It was back in 2017 that “buffer zones” were first proposed as part of a public consultation by the Conservative Government. The then Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, launched a review into the scale and nature of pro-life vigills outside abortion centers. There were small, silent prayerful vigels often by Catholic nuns. They were very different from the portrayal of gatherings outside US abortion providers that are shown by the media as loud and aggressive and forcefull. Yet British parliamentarians thought they were a problem. Prayer was bad.
In 2018, the Home Office announced it could not find adequate reason to introduce censorship zones. Yet the “concern” about these praying nuns has not gone away. There of course is already legislation that exists to restrict protest activities that cause harm to others.
Rupa Huq has tried on previous occasions to push such amendments through but failed. This is her latest attempt. It would make it illegal make it illegal to offer support to a woman seeking an abortion within 150m of an abortion clinic or hospital that provides abortions. The Ammendment says that “A person who is within a buffer zone and who interferes with any person’s decision to access, provide, or facilitate the provision of abortion services in that buffer zone is guilty of an offence”. Later the amendment says that ‘interferes with’ means “seeks to influence” and “informs or attempts to inform about abortion services by any means”.
This legislation simply means it would be illegal to be publically pro life outsiude an abortion clinic and anyone who is praying or handing out leaflets or talking to anyone about the importance of life would face between 6 months and 2 years in jail.
But who does the buffer zone seek to protect? It does not seek to protect the life of the baby who will be killed. It does not seek to protect the mental health of the mother who may be psychologically damaged by this. It does not seek to protect the grandparent who is about to lose their grandchild. It simply protects the right to take an innocent person’s life.
Maybe Rupa Huq’s time would be better spent trying to increase the rape conviction rate from the current low of 1.5% or to combat the growing knife crime that she as a London MP will know all too well.
Also Rupa is a devoutly religious person. A Muslim. As a religious person you would think she would stand up for those who are marginalised in our society with no voice? As a Muslim she must believe that all life is precious. Surely her God cares for every little baby and would not want them killed?
