When I arrived at an abortion clinic in south London, four protesters – three women and one man – had gathered on the opposite side of the road with a picture of the Virgin Mary draped in a rosary. They are praying quietly, and pray that they are not interrupted.

Protestors standing outside abortion clinics with signs – sometimes displaying graphic images of fetuses – has become a norm. This can be worrying and upsetting for some women going for the procedure, who are sometimes approached by these individuals. The same is true for health workers working in clinics.

A new law came into force on Thursday making it illegal to “influence, harass or incite” anyone accessing or administering pregnancy termination services within 150 meters (492 feet) of an abortion clinic in England and Wales. Went. It would also be illegal to stand and pray silently in the same area.

The change follows similar restrictions being implemented in Northern Ireland in 2023 and Scotland in September.

Abortion buffer zones have long been campaigned for by some and fought against by others. Those who break this new law will have to pay unlimited fines.

The law aims to put stronger safeguards in place for women accessing this healthcare – especially at a time when the topic of abortion is being aggressively debated globally. However, critics say this comes at the cost of freedom of expression.

There are always protesters outside the MSI Reproductive Choice abortion clinic in Brixton. This is one I have passed by many times. When I arrived to report for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, two men were standing at the gate of the clinic, holding rosaries and carrying booklets.

• Fierce fight over protest against abortion clinic
• Britain’s first abortion clinic buffer zone comes into force

It seems to be a well-coordinated and well-thought-out operation – even the people praying know that they will immediately direct me to talk to the two people at the gate. So we cross the street and do just that.

Richard, who tells me he is here representing a Catholic charity, which he says provides “the right kind of counseling to pregnant women”, has been coming to the center for five weeks.

I asked him if there were any circumstances in which he believed abortion was acceptable, and he told me, no.

I challenge them on cases in which women have become pregnant as a result of rape. He says that these abortions can lead to remorse and instead, “we need to cry with (the victim) and empathize”. Termination can be painful, they told me.

When I asked how he, as a man, could know this, he said there was ongoing research on the topic – although he did not cite any specific papers. “You don’t have to be a certain gender to learn about the other gender,” he says.

I ask both men if they can understand how some women would find their presence intimidating, unkind, and un-Christian – especially if they have had difficult experiences with men. This is not an approach that they can reconcile with their own belief that they are trying to save lives.

Richard believes that the perception that protesters like him are intimidating “comes from certain images, perhaps not from Britain” and says that he and others are not offensive.

Unlike the US and other countries, abortion is not a major political issue during general and local elections in the UK.

The number of abortions is increasing. There were 251,377 abortions in England and Wales in 2022 – the highest number since the Abortion Act came into force in 1967, and a 17% increase on the previous year.

Major opinion polls conducted regularly in this country show that support for women’s right to access abortion has only increased. The most recent social attitudes study from the National Center for Social Research shows that support for abortion has increased, although support is slightly less universal when no health risks are involved.

Three quarters of those surveyed in 2022 supported a woman’s right to have an abortion because she did not want to have a child, up from 37% in 1983. This figure rose to 89% when there was a strong possibility the baby would have a serious health condition, and 95% when the woman’s health was seriously endangered due to the pregnancy.

Seventy-two percent believe abortion should be allowed when a couple cannot have any more children, and 68 percent believe it should be allowed when the woman is not married and does not want to marry.

Elish McEntee, midwife in charge of adult and child protection at MSI Reproductive Choice, one of the UK’s largest abortion providers, welcomes the buffer zone. She says she had to calm down some women who were talked down to or insulted by protesters on their way to an appointment.

“Women have people who are yelling ‘killer’ or yelling ‘mommy’ and saying they’re going to pray for them and it’s a really harrowing experience,” she tells me.

I challenge him about the right of people in this country to have freedom of speech, to protest, and to be able to express their religious beliefs. She acknowledges that these rights are important but says the location of that expression also matters.

She tells me that women should not face opposition, disagreement, embarrassment or debate on their way to receiving health care, especially when some women have suffered abuse by men – as this is their special area of ​​expertise and care. Is.

Eilish’s account conflicts with Richard’s account. She says she has seen protesters stopping women and trying hard to stop them from going inside.

Both people I interviewed said they didn’t know what they would do from today if the law changed; Will they continue to come, but further away, or not come at all?

Only time will tell. But as I walked by, I saw a male member of the public attacking one of the protesters and angrily telling him that he should not be there. To date – they may not be.

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