British Woman Convicted Over Clinic Buffer Zone
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 “freedom of expression” in the country.
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.
Tossici-Bolt, an anti-abortion campaigner and retired medical scientist, held a sign outside a Bournemouth abortion clinic reading, “Here to talk, if you want.”
District judge Orla Austin told Poole Magistrates’ Court that Tossici-Bolt “lacks insight that her presence could have a detrimental effect on the women attending the clinic, their associates, staff and members of the public,” British news agency PA Media reported.
The judge added that “although it’s accepted this defendant held pro-life views, it’s 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).”
Tossici-Bolt’s 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.