U.K. anti-abortion rights activist whose case caught Trump admin attention convicted of breaching protest ban
London — A British anti-abortion rights activist whose case caught the attention of the Trump administration was convicted Friday by a U.K court of breaching an order banning protests and intimidating behavior in a designated zone around a reproductive health clinic in the city of Bournemouth, in southern England.
Livia Tossici-Bolt, a 64 year old retired medical scientist originally from Italy, was found guilty of breaching the in October 2022, which bans activities that "include (but are not restricted to) protesting abortion services, handing out leaflets, intimidating visitors to the clinic or its staff, photographing or recording the clinic's users or holding vigils" outside the British Pregnancy Advice Service clinic, where abortion is among the services provided.
Tossici-Bolt had, on two separate days in March 2023, stood near the abortion clinic holding a sign saying, "here to talk, if you want to," according to previous court filings and representatives with the prominent right-wing legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. The organization, which has American roots, helped to represent Tossici-Bolt in court, as it has done with other anti-abortion activists in Britain and elsewhere.
The judge gave Tossici-Bolt a two-year "conditional discharge," which means she could face further punitive measures if conditions set by the court are breached, and she was ordered to pay £20,000 to cover the prosecution costs, which is equivalent to about $26,000.
The abortion protest ban was implemented in 2022 due to what Bournemouth authorities called "the detrimental impact of behaviors experienced by those accessing medical services or doing their jobs" at the clinic.
The prosecution of Tossici-Bolt has drawn the attention of the Trump administration. A by the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor on Sunday said: "U.S.-UK relations share a mutual respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. However, as Vice President Vance has said, we are concerned about freedom of expression in the United Kingdom."
"We are monitoring her [Tossici-Bolt's] case," the department said, adding: "It is important that the UK respect and protect freedom of expression."
At the Munich Security Conference in February, Vice President JD Vance cited the case of another anti-abortion activist who has been defended by ADF International in the U.K. as he claimed that a "backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs."
Vance was speaking in reference to buffer zone laws that went into effect across England in October 2024. Under that national legislation, it is "illegal for anyone to do anything that intentionally or recklessly influences someone's decision to use abortion services, obstructs them, or causes harassment or distress to someone using or working at these premises," according to a U.K. government website.
The law applies to anyone within a 150 meter radius (or about 500 feet) of an English abortion service provider.
In her ruling on Friday, District Judge Orla Austin told the Poole Magistrates' that Tossici-Bolt lacked "insight that her presence could have a detrimental effect on the women attending the clinic, their associates, staff and members of the public," according to CBS News partner network BBC News.
"Although it's accepted this defendant held pro-life views, it's important to note this case is not about the rights and wrongs about abortion but about whether the defendant was in breach of the" local protest ban, the judge said according to the BBC.
A spokesperson for the ADF group, which, as CBS News previously reported, helped get the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling overturned in the U.S., condemned the verdict as a violation of free speech on Friday
"Everyone who cares about free speech should care about 'buffer zones'. A Christian woman has been convicted merely for offering to chat on a public street in Britain. This ruling should show all reasonable people that, beyond the shadow of a doubt, abortion facility 'buffer zones' are incompatible with a free society," ADF International Spokesperson Lorcan Price said in a statement.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the U.K.'s leading abortion care charity, hailed the verdict as a ruling that "will protect women and the staff who provide abortion care."
"This case was never about global politics but about the simple ability of women to access legal healthcare free from harassment," the charity said in a statement posted on its website.
