Barry Duke, the Angry Atheist

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   I suppose the fact that humans live on a mote of dust and rock in a vast galaxy would not…

2. 

   If they headed west from the Western Isles even those Troglodytes would have a shock when they were welcomed by…

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   Going to the Western Isles where these guys hail from is like going back in time to the Dark Ages.

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   “We believe, as indicated in the book of Genesis in the Bible, that everyone is created by God in his…

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   At last, three cheers for Scotland’s decent piece of legislation; soon to be copied into England, Wales, Isle of Man,…

40 Days for Life, which cruelly harasses women outside abortion facilities in the US and beyond, has a very far reach.

Supporters of this aggressive outfit, led by Rose Docherty, above, showed up outside a maternity ward at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital this week to hold a vigil.

There they were confronted by Dr Greg Irwin who ordered them to stop harassing patients.

According to The Daily Record, he told the group:

You are upsetting my patients and you are upsetting my staff. What you are doing is very unkind and I would like you to stop … I know you acting out in Christian faith, which says we should love one another. You are not being loving to these people. You are not showing them the respect that they deserve. You need to stop coming to my hospital, this is not fair.

Dr Irwin confronting one of anti-abortion zealots. Screenshot credit: Daily Record/Ruth Suter/Reach PLC.

The campaigners merely grinned inanely at the medic and stood their ground.

Docherty previously told the Record she was recruited by the American religious group “through the pro-life grapevine’. She claimed the group stands across from facilities offering to “help” women who she believes may be “coerced” into abortion.

During their vigil a vehicle slowed down and a driver shouted “fuck off you bunch of lunatics”.

‘Untold levels of harm’

Lucy Grieve, co-founder of Back Off Scotland, a group campaigning for harassment-free buffer zones around clinics, described the scenes as “unfair”.

She said:

These protests need to stop—they are causing untold levels of harm to patients and medical staff across Scotland. We have heard from hundreds of women who have been adversely affected by them, and it’s not fair that they are unable to access healthcare free from harassment.

The protesters keep talking about their right to freedom of speech—but what about a patient’s right to medical privacy? We need legislation to be brought forward immediately to put an end to this.

Image via Youtube

Labour MSP Monica Lennon, above, added:

It’s harrowing to see another 40-day anti-abortion protest gearing up in Scotland.

This is being dressed up as prayer, but we know it’s bad for the privacy and well-being of women. The Scottish Government knew this was coming, yet no additional safeguards are in place to protect those accessing vital healthcare services.

Testimonies gathered by Back Off Scotland have revealed the traumatising and long-lasting effects of clinic harassment. We wouldn’t put up with this in any other health setting.

The Scottish Government must ensure the legal right to abortion care is accessed without intimidation or harassment.

With every other UK nation pushing ahead with safe access zone legislation, I hope this will be a wakeup call for the Scottish Government to introduce these measures as soon as possible.

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said:

Our number one priority is the safety and security of our patients and staff. The site, targeted by protesters, offers a full range of healthcare services.

As a healthcare provider we firmly believe all our patients should be free to attend for treatment and our staff should be able to deliver care without fear or intimidation.

Image via YouTube

Public Health Minister Maree Todd, above, said:

There is no place for this in modern Scotland. It is unacceptable for women to face any fear of harassment or intimidation when accessing essential healthcare services …

People have a right to protest in a democracy, however, no one has the right to intimidate or impede women’s right to access healthcare. The Scottish Government believes protests should be held in a more appropriate place, such as outside parliament.

On its website 40 Days for Life boasts that it has succeeded in shutting down over 100 abortion facilities and has documented saving thousands of “babies.”

In addition to the babies, over 200 abortion workers have quit their jobs and walked away from the abortion industry and thousands of women have been spared the suffering and trauma that comes with the decision to abort one’s own child.

It complains that, in recent years, many provincial governments have passed:

Draconian laws criminalizing pro-life expression (and even silent prayer) within 50 metres (or more) of an abortion facility. These are totalitarian anti pro-life speech laws which deny women in crisis alternatives to abortion and criminalize pro-life outreach and assistance. 

In a 2013 article, The Guardian quoted a Marie Stopes spokesperson as saying that the group has been dubbed “40 Days of Lies” for handing out “misleading information. Its leaflets are saturated in emotive language about “your tiny baby”.

Its pseudo-medical statements imply that abortions often cause “serious physical complications”.

These leaflets, plus T-shirts and other crap, are a being sold on the 40 Days of Life on-line store.

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If you spot any typos in this piece, please email me at freethinkered@aol.com

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