HEALTH MINISTER STEPHEN Donnelly says he will prioritise a Bill legislating for safe access zones around clinics providing abortion services. 

Donnelly told Cabinet today of the measure having previously said he is “fully committed” to introducing legislation on safe access zones around healthcare facilities as promised in the Programme for Government.

An exclusion zone would mean protests would not be permitted in the area surrounding a healthcare facility.

Protesters have gathered in the past outside maternity units and hospitals, including a protest against abortion services held outside the National Maternity Hospital in January last year. 

77% of people support a ban on protests outside facilities that provide abortion services, according to a 2020 poll carried out by Amárach Research for RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live/The Journal. 

Fianna Fáil’s coalition partners the Green Party have been pushing Donnelly to bring forward legislation. 

A letter from the Green TD Neasa Hourigan and Senator Pauline O’Reilly to the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus today said: “We are concerned at the lack of progress on this commitment [in the programme for government] and would encourage the Women’s Caucus to advocate on behalf of people who access these services.

“The right to protest is an incredibly important part of the democratic process. However protesting at sites where people are accessing services often at a difficult time in their lives is undertaken to intimidate and coerce those who need our protection and care.”

With reporting by Christina Finn