US group targets clinic in new abortion demos

PROTESTERS PLAN 40 DAYS OF 'VIGILS'

- BY RUTH SUTER

AN EXTREMIST religious group is planning a fresh round of antiabortion harassment in Scotland, despite new laws to prevent protests.

Texas-based 40 Days for Life announced online it will hold “prayer vigils” near the Edinburgh Chalmers Clinic.

The action is expected to last for 40 days from September 24, with the last “vigil” on November 2.

The American group, which claims to represent hundreds of Scots volunteers, announced the campaign months after The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill became law here.

Under the act, it is illegal to hold vigils or protests within 200metres of a clinic providing abortion services.

Instructions on the 40 Days for Life website advise members to gather on Chalmers Street - opposite the front door of the healthcare clinic - which is well within the buffer zone. The Record contacted the branch in Edinburgh to ask if it was aware this gathering would be illegal.