Scotland takes a page from the Biden DOJ Playbook
Scotland just committed their first “buffer zone” arrest days after Vice President JD Vance criticized the UK’s use of these laws to silence pro-life and religious advocates. 74-year-old Scottish woman Rose Docherty was outside a Scottish hospital in Glasgow, Scotland that offered abortion services when she was approached by police. They accused her of holding a “silent vigil,” which they stated was in violation of the law saying, “We’ve got examples of what would be classed as breaching the act…Standing here saying nothing is a silent vigil.”
The officer then went on to add a personal note to reinforce her supposed crime- that he had seen Rose standing at this spot “protesting abortion” multiple times before. Rose, who was holding a sign that read: “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want” stated that she was present to let women forced into an unwanted abortion know that she was a safe person to talk to and that they had rights under the government that would protect them from abortion coercion. “I’m just pointing out that coercion is against the law and that if anyone wants to come and speak to me they can, so I’m not doing anything wrong,” Rose calmly told officers.
The abortion zone laws, enacted in September of 2024 in England, Wales, and Scotland, are similar to the FACE Act present in the United States where over 20 pro-life advocates have been arrested for their presence outside abortion clinics. Conservative groups in the US have been critical of how these laws misuse government power and restrict religious liberty and the right to protest peacefully. President Trump agreed with American’s concern regarding the weaponization of the DOJ against pro-life individuals and pardoned 23 pro-life political prisoners shortly after his inauguration. The current landscape in the United States has brought attention to the ways governments around the world are using their political power to silence the voices of those who seek to offer support to pregnant women and their preborn children.
The Real Threat to Women Entering Abortion Clinics
The nature of Rose Docherty’s arrest is particularly concerning. Her stated presence -to notify women of their rights surrounding abortion coercion- should be affirmed by all countries that seek to protect their citizens from unwanted medical procedures and abuse. A study published in 2023 by Reardon and Longbons reported that out of 226 post-abortive women, 61% self-reported feeling a “high level” of pressure to have an abortion. It is also a well-established fact that victims of sex trafficking are forced to have abortions so that they may continue to be exploited without evidence, such as a child, that could lead to traffickers being identified. One trafficking survivor, whose story is reported in the Annals of Health Law (Lederer and Wetzel, 2014) reported undergoing seventeen abortions while she was a victim of forced prostitution. The real threat to women entering abortion clinics is not Rose standing outside quietly holding a sign, nor is it the countless other pro-life advocates who pray, offer support, and engage women as they walk into their abortion appointments. The real threat is how a system, so blinded by their worship of abortion and “women’s rights” has aided and abetted pimps, abusers, sex addicts, and more who have easy access to abortions when it suits them. Abortion pills by mail can be easily ordered by a man intent on hiding the consequences of a rape he has committed. Planned Parenthood has been caught undercover ignoring blatant evidence of sex trafficking and instructing a man on how to bring women into the clinic. As pro-life warrior AJ Hurley ironically convinced attendees at this year’s Women’s March to chant,“Abortion rights are men’s rights.”
US Pro-Life Group Supports Rose’s Advocacy
Notably, Rose is the leader of the 40 Days for Life campaign in Glasgow.
40 Days for Life, a well-known pro-life advocacy group out of the US has said they will hold a spring vigil at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Scotland as they further their preborn advocacy work across the pond. 40 Days for Life is known for peaceful, powerful, prayer campaigns at abortion clinics across the United States to bring awareness to the tragedy of abortion.
While these arrests are disheartening, they are working to wake people up to the way pro-life advocates are persecuted and bolster the courage of those who may have previously stayed silent. As people who truly believe abortion is murder, we understand the cost of defending preborn children and their mothers from both psychological and physical harm. The pro-life movement can not be silenced because the atrocities of abortion speak for themselves. No matter the ways governments may try to aid abortion providers, bold individuals will continue to offer help to women in crisis pregnancies.
Photo by Phil Reid on Unsplash
Libby writes from the perspective of a trained mental health counselor, mother, and wife. She seeks to defend the preborn using both science and empathy for mothers and babies.
