A 75-year-old grandmother was arrested near a Glasgow hospital for holding a sign offering to talk to women considering an abortion. The act of Rose Docherty 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 – according to the Breitbart news portal.

🚨BREAKING🚨

75-year-old Rose Docherty has been arrested AGAIN

for holding a sign reading „coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want” within a Scottish „buffer zone”

Rose was kept in a cell for two hours, and refused a chair, despite having a double hip replacement. pic.twitter.com/HizSihMvU3

— ADF International (@ADFIntl) September 27, 2025

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. Commenting on her latest arrest, Docherty pointed out: “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.”

– she said.

A Trampling Of Freedom Of Speech And Religion?

The British law has faced numerous criticisms. Many argue that it clearly restricts freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Suella Braverman — the former home secretary in the previous government run by the Conservative Party — did not „rush” to bring the law into effect during her tenure. In a 2023 letter to police constables in England and Wales more than three months after the law was passed, she stated:

„It is worth remembering that silent prayer, in itself, is not unlawful.”

U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance also sharply criticised the British buffer zones in his 2025 speech in Munich. In his view, these laws “dangerously restrict freedom of speech and freedom of religion.”

Not A Unique Debate

Prayer and demonstrations around abortion clinics have brought trouble not only for the 75-year-old Rose Docherty. In both Britain and the United States, several people have been arrested for breaching buffer zones.

Adam Smith-Connor, who has since regretted paying for his former girlfriend’s abortion more than twenty years ago, reported that he prayed outside a clinic in England for himself, for his lost son, and for the men and women facing difficult decisions regarding abortion today. He added that he deliberately prayed with his back to the facility so as not to give the impression that he was approaching women visiting the centre or trying to engage with them. Even so, he was arrested.

At the same time, there is also an opposing example. As V4NA has previously highlighted, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, Germany, ruled that restrictions on peaceful prayer gatherings near abortion clinics violated the constitutional right to freedom of assembly. This represented a significant victory for the “40 Days for Life” movement.