First person arrested in Scotland under abortion buffer zone law

Glasgow police on Wednesday arrested a woman, 74, for allegedly breaching a buffer zone around an abortion center. A video of the arrest posted by the Scottish Family Party showed the woman, named in the video as Rose Docherty, standing outside the Queen Elizabeth Hospital holding a sign that read: “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.” Police informed her she was violating the law and gave her an opportunity to leave voluntarily. When she refused, she was led away in handcuffs.

The buffer zone law, passed last July, criminalizes any attempts to influence a mother’s decision about abortion within roughly 600 feet of an abortion center. Prohibited activity can include protests, preaching, or silent vigils.

Is Docherty’s arrest part of a bigger conversation about free speech? U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance called out Scotland’s buffer laws as an egregious violation of free speech just days ago in a speech to international leaders at the Munich Security Conference. The Scottish Green Party, which introduced the legislation, on Thursday said Vance falsely claimed that the laws criminalized private prayer in homes near abortion centers. A party spokeswoman also said that the number of pro-life protesters outside the Queen Elizabeth Hospital had increased in the days since Vance’s comments.