London, England, Feb 17, 2018 / 15:17 pm
Proposals to bar pro-life demonstrations and outreach with a legal 'buffer zone' outside abortion clinics drew objections from a leading U.K. bishop who stressed the legitimacy of their cause.
"There are members of the public, often associated with churches, who gather peacefully to pray outside abortion clinics and witness to the good of human life in a dignified way," Bishop John Sherrington said Feb. 16. "They do so because of their fundamental belief in the protection of unborn life and the good of the mother."
Bishop Sherrington, an auxiliary bishop of the Westminster archdiocese, is responsible for the Day for Life, when the local Catholic Church dedicates a day to raising awareness about the value of human life at every stage from conception to natural death. In England and Wales, the 2018 observance falls on Sunday, June 17.
The bishop's remarks were submitted to a British government review of abortion clinic protests as parliament and several localities consider "buffer zones." Possible proposals could bar the display of images deemed distressing and the use of loudspeakers, but also bar congregating in large groups and approaching women going into clinics.