Bournemouth abortion clinic has been put up for sale
This comes a week after the service was granted a 'buffer zone' to deter protestors
Last updated 24th Oct 2022
An abortion clinic in Bournemouth has been put up for sale a week after it was given a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) - also known as a 'buffer zone'.
The PSPO is an area around the clinic where people can be fined if found to be harassing those entering the building.
Bournemouth's Ophir Road Clinic was granted the measure by the council for three years on October 13th.
It became the fifth clinic in the country to have one, following clinics in Ealing, Twickenham, Manchester and Birmingham.
The British Pregnancy Advice Service (who run the Ophir Road facility) have said the current site will remain open until a replacement within the county is found.
Sister Support Bournemouth - a campaign group trying to end harassment outside abortion clinics have said that they hope the buffer zone will move over to the county's new abortion facility.
On this, the British Pregnancy Advice Service have said: "The buffer zone in Bournemouth is specific to that location, so it won’t follow the service to the next location.
"However, it is likely that by the time we move to the next site the Public Order Bill will have come into effect, so there will automatically be a buffer zone around the clinic wherever we move to.
"Services will continue to be provided from the current clinic until a new site is established.
"Any woman considering abortion care in Dorset should continue to contact BPAS by calling 03457 30 40 30 or by requesting an appointment on the BPAS website."
The Public Order Bill referred to here, put forward by Labour MP Stella Creasy, has proposed that harassing, obstructing or interfering with any woman attending an abortion clinic should become a criminal offence.
This was approved by MPs by 297 votes to 110.
The bill still has several stages to clear before becoming law, including being passed in the House of Lords.