A 75-year-old grandmother was arrested near a Glasgow hospital for holding a sign offering to talk to women considering an abortion.
Rose Docherty, an anti-abortion activist, was arrested by Scottish police on Saturday outside the in Glasgow, The Telegraph reported, for holding a placard that read: “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.”
This apparently contravened the Safe Access Zones Act in Scotland, which prohibits people from protesting within 200 meters (656 feet) of abortion clinics.
The legislation, which came into effect in September of last year, prohibits anyone from “approaching someone to try and persuade them not to access abortion services, surrounding people as they try to go in or out of the clinic or hospital, handing out leaflets, religious preaching,” or even holding “silent vigils” outside abortion clinics.
The so-called “buffer zone” legislation makes it a criminal offence to attempt to influence women not to get an abortion outside of clinics, with fines of up to £10,000 or potentially limitless fines in supposedly severe cases. It is also an offence to “impede their access; or otherwise cause alarm, harassment or distress.”
Docherty was previously arrested in February outside of another abortion clinic in Scotland while holding the same sign, which she believes does not breach the law as it merely offers counsel to those who want it.
Amid pushback from the Trump administration, with Vice President JD Vance highlighting the issue, Scottish prosecutors dropped the charges against the 75-year-old grandmother in August.
Commenting on her latest arrest, Docherty said, “Everybody has the right to engage in consensual conversation. I held my sign with love and compassion, inviting anyone who wants to chat, to do so – and stood peacefully, not approaching anyone.
“I should not be treated as a criminal for inviting people to chat with me – lending a listening ear. Conversation is not forbidden on the streets of Glasgow. And yet, this is the second time I have been arrested for doing just that.”
According to GB News, Docherty was held for several hours and was not provided a chair, despite telling police that she had a double hip replacement.
The U.S. State Department also condemned the arrest, saying: “The arrest of Rose Docherty is another egregious example of the tyrannical suppression of free speech happening across Europe.
“When 75-year-old grandmothers are being arrested for standing peacefully and offering conversation, common sense and basic civility are under attack. The United States will always speak out against these violations of fundamental rights.”
Similar localised restrictions have been put in place across Britain, resulting in multiple arrests for people silently praying in their own heads near abortion clinics.
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