Friday, October 26, 2012
Letter - Spiked
This letter appears in Spiked. It is in response to an article by Ann Furedi who had written in favour of preventing anti-abortion campaigners demonstrating outside clinics:
This appears to be exactly the same argument as to whether peaceful picketing of factories during strikes should be allowed.
The comparison with the right to eject hecklers from a meeting is not valid precisely because that is inside the property or rented property of those running the meeting (though actually councils often make it a condition of electoral meetings in public buildings that nobody can be excluded). Nobody is suggesting that abortion opponents should be allowed to enter the clinics while the abortion is taking place, just as nobody says unions should be allowed to picket inside factories when the management refuse.
As Furedi admits, she is attempting to roll back something which has been happening, freely, for years.
Neil Craig
This appears to be exactly the same argument as to whether peaceful picketing of factories during strikes should be allowed.
The comparison with the right to eject hecklers from a meeting is not valid precisely because that is inside the property or rented property of those running the meeting (though actually councils often make it a condition of electoral meetings in public buildings that nobody can be excluded). Nobody is suggesting that abortion opponents should be allowed to enter the clinics while the abortion is taking place, just as nobody says unions should be allowed to picket inside factories when the management refuse.
As Furedi admits, she is attempting to roll back something which has been happening, freely, for years.
Neil Craig
