In 2013, the Tasmanian Parliament passed the Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Act which enforces 'access zones' of a radius of 150 metres from premises at which abortions are provided.
[8] In November 2015, Victoria became the second state to pass legislation to limit protests outside abortion clinics[9] and 150 metre buffer zones are now enforced.
At least three of the country's provinces and territories have passed laws intended to protect medical facilities that provide induced abortion: Access zone legislation has also been passed at the level of local government in Canada: In Ireland, the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Act 2024 means there a safe access zone with a radius of 100 metres may be created around a general practitioner, obstetrician, or a hospital providing abortion services.
At the federal level in the United States, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE), makes it an offense to use intimidation or physical force – such as forming a blockade – in order to prevent a person from entering a facility which provides reproductive healthcare or a place of worship.
[26] The Court reaffirmed this holding on February 28, 2006 in a unanimous decision, although only eight Justices participated in the ruling, because Samuel Alito had not yet been confirmed.
They argue that a buffer zone helps to prevent blockading of a clinic's entrance, to protect the safety of patients and staff, and to ensure that clients do not feel intimidated, distressed, or harassed by the presence of anti-abortion activists.
[1] Some traditional free speech advocates such as the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association have cautiously sided in favour of narrowly defined "bubble zones" around abortion clinics on the basis that patients have a medical right to privacy when receiving confidential legal medical procedures that is compromised if protesters identify patients for the purpose of publicly shaming or intimidating them.
Some pro-choice activists have also argued that anyone convicted of anti-abortion violence should be permanently banned from protesting outside abortion clinics.