No, I have been told not to speak for long and I want to get on with it.
3.15 pm
We are talking about people who are just trying to raise awareness about the support available. This is a crucial point. They want to raise awareness about the support available to women facing difficult pregnancies with nowhere else to turn to. We are going to criminalise these grandmothers, but so many of the Just Stop Oil people walk free.
Therefore, this is not primarily a debate about abortion. We all have our views on that. This is a debate and an amendment about public order. A thorough review of this subject, including the public order aspect, found that buffer zones would be an excessive response to protests or vigils outside abortion clinics. There is no need to change the law with the new clause.
I support the Bill, but if new clause 11 is included in it, I could no longer support it. Many pro-life MPs will be in the position I am in. The Government will be putting us in a very difficult position. I would be interested to know—I did not get an answer to this—what the Labour party will do if new clause 11 is included. Presumably, it would rather more favour aspects of the Bill. What will be the attitude of the Minister? Is he in favour of new clause 11? If he wants to speak against it, is he going to not support his own Bill? We will see. I look forward to his comments.
I hope we can get on with the aims of better supporting the police to protect the rights of people to go about their daily business in the face of the likes of Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, and to focus their resources on keeping the public safe.
Lastly, I want to make it clear that this is about raising awareness. The last comment must go to Alina Dulgheriu, a vulnerable mother who fronts a campaign called “Be Here For Me”. She recently recalled:
“The day I made my way to the abortion facility was the darkest day my heart has ever known. All I needed was help until I gave birth. A lady and a leaflet. That’s all it took. Right there at the steps of abortion centre. From all that darkness, at last I felt hope, I felt for the first time that my child was wanted, not only by me, but also by complete strangers. For the first time, I felt that I was not walking alone on the day I was meant to end the life within me—my child. I cannot express the joy and how fulfilled I felt as a woman, as a mother, to be given the chance to have my child. A just and caring society doesn’t criminalise people for offering help to vulnerable mothers.”