A British woman was found guilty Friday of breaching a buffer zone outside a UK abortion clinic, in a case that attracted concern from the Trump administration over \u201cfreedom of expression\u201d in the country. <\/p>\n
Livia Tossici-Bolt, 64, from Bournemouth, a town on the southern English coast, was convicted of two charges of breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), legislation prohibiting protests near abortion services, on two days in March 2023. <\/p>\n
Tossici-Bolt, an anti-abortion campaigner and retired medical scientist, held a sign outside a Bournemouth abortion clinic reading, \u201cHere to talk, if you want.\u201d <\/p>\n
District judge Orla Austin told Poole Magistrates\u2019 Court that Tossici-Bolt \u201clacks insight that her presence could have a detrimental effect on the women attending the clinic, their associates, staff and members of the public,\u201d British news agency PA Media reported. <\/p>\n
The judge added that \u201calthough it\u2019s accepted this defendant held pro-life views, it\u2019s important to note this case is not about the rights and wrongs about abortion but about whether the defendant was in breach of the PSPO (Public Spaces Protection Order).\u201d <\/p>\n
Tossici-Bolt\u2019s case attracted attention from the US State Department at a time when Washington has voiced concerns over free speech in the UK and other European countries. <\/p>\n
\u201cU.S.-UK relations share a mutual respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. However, as Vice President Vance has said, we are concerned about freedom of expression in the United Kingdom,\u201d America\u2019s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labour (DRL), a bureau of the US State Department, wrote on X on Sunday, ahead of the ruling. <\/p>\n
The DRL added that one of its advisers had met with Tossici-Bolt, and that it was \u201cmonitoring\u201d her case. <\/p>\n
US Vice-President JD Vance has previously criticized UK policies including safe access zones around abortion clinics, saying they restrict freedom of speech. During a speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, Vance cited the example of a man arrested for praying near an abortion clinic. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat,\u201d he told the conference. <\/p>\n
The UK government has pushed back at Vance\u2019s suggestion, denying that the issue could jeopardize efforts to strike a trade deal with an administration that has imposed sweeping tariffs. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe (prime minister) has been clear, including during his visit to the White House \u2026 that the UK has had free speech in this country for a long time and we are proud of that,\u201d UK PM Keir Starmer\u2019s spokesperson, Jonathan Reynolds, said on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
Britian introduced safe access buffer zones around abortion clinics in the UK on October 31. The law applies within a 150-meter radius of the abortion service provider. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe right to access abortion services is a fundamental right for women in this country, and no one should feel unsafe when they seek to access this,\u201d the UK\u2019s safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips, said at the time. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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