‘When will they leave us alone?’ Anti-abortion protesters cause distress in Limerick

A GROUP campaigning for safe zone legislation has sent an open letter to the Health Minister after receiving a call from a “very distressed woman” about the anti-abortion protests outside University Maternity Hospital Limerick.

Co-chairs of Together for Safety, Karen Sugrue and Yvie Murphy wrote a letter to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, to ask him “When will they leave us alone?”

This comes after a “very distressed woman” told the group that anti-abortion protesters were once again standing outside Limerick Maternity Hospital and causing distress to people going for medical appointments, as well as to passersby and local residents. According to Karen Sugrue, a lot of the people attending these protests around the country are now wearing body cameras. 

“We are writing to you this morning to ask when the long promised Safe Access Zone legislation will be in place? Last month, you publicly promised the legislation would be in place by July. It is now halfway through June,” read the letter. 

Since the end of 2020, Together for Safety have been campaigning for safe access zones around hospitals, GP and health centres.

Co-chair of Together for Safety, Karen Sugrue, told Limerick Live: “We partnered up with a group of residents, and they have been helping us to keep track of the protests ever since. They would signpost us if they come across anybody who finds the protests distressing.”

According to Ms Sugrue, at the moment, anti-abortion protesters are there once or twice a week. “We contact the guards and we ask residents and anybody who sees the protesters to also contact the guards. We also ask that nobody approach the protesters.”

“As the law stands, the protesters are entitled to be there. We’re hoping to change the law and what we’re looking for is legislation to put in place a hundred meters around health centres, hospitals and GPs, so the protesters have to just move a little bit back from the front gates.”

Ms Sugrue pointed out the campaigning group is very aware that this is a “balance of rights.”

“The legislation balances the right to protest, which is very important, but people have the right to access healthcare and go to work without being distressed and having their privacy intact, and that’s very important,” she said.

“It’s a hugely important piece of all of this because there are many reasons why people would like to be able to go into hospitals and go to appointments in privacy and without anybody knowing that they're going. But we know from our protests around the country that a lot of the protesters are now wearing body cameras and are recording people going in and out.”

In their letter to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, Together for Safety wrote: "Minister, it is seven years since the Citizens Assembly on the 8th Amendment, six since the Oireachtas Committee, five since Repeal. Each of these public debates supported the need for Safe Access Zones. It is four years since the abortion legislation was put in operation, and three years since Together for Safety started collecting reports of distress caused by the protests and lobbying for Safe Access Zone legislation."

They added: “It is two years since we wrote and submitted a Private Members Bill for Safe Access Zones, which had such broad support across all parties and none that it went through the Seanad and into the second stage in the Dáil. It is one year since you got cabinet approval to legislate for Safe Access Zones. The Abortion Review report said they are urgently needed.  Last September, you promised that the Safe Access Zones would be in place by Christmas. Last month you promised they would be in place by July.