General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones))

The government approved the General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) for formal drafting and approved the publication of the General Scheme on the Department of Health’s website.

The government committed to ensuring that anyone needing a termination of pregnancy (TOP) can access services in safety and this commitment is reflected in the Programme for Government to “establish exclusion zones around medical facilities.”

The aim of this General Scheme of a Bill and the underpinning policy is to ensure safe access to Termination of Pregnancy (TOP) services for women, service providers and their staff throughout the country. The policy objectives are to:

• protect the safety and well-being of women accessing termination of pregnancy services, as well as service providers, their staff and others who need to access defined locations (healthcare settings) in the course of their duties and responsibilities;
• respect the privacy and dignity of women accessing termination of pregnancy services, as well as the service providers, and their staff in the course of their duties and responsibilities;
• protect the freedom to access termination of pregnancy services without impediment, judgement or unsolicited attempts to influence healthcare decisions or decisions to offer termination of pregnancy services, for all women accessing termination services, as well as service providers and others attending by putting in place legislative measures to ensure that specific behaviours, activities and/or protests/demonstrations are prohibited within 100 metres of certain healthcare settings that can lawfully provide termination of pregnancy services in accordance with the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018.

The General Scheme of the Bill proposes to designate safe access zones around sites that can provide TOP services in accordance with the Act of 2018, not just those that do. It is proposed that a zone, consisting of 100 metres surrounding or adjacent to each of these healthcare premises will be designated. This will include the premises (buildings and land and curtilage) of hospitals, community care and secondary care centres, being predominately general practitioners. Conduct which intentionally or reasonably would have the effect of influencing the decision of a person in relation to availing of, or providing, termination of pregnancy services, or interfering with a person’s access to or provision of termination of pregnancy services will be prohibited in the safe access zones.