This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Sajid Javid has rejected a cross-party demand to introduce exclusion zones around all abortion centres in England and Wales, saying it would not be a “proportionate response” despite the harassment that takes place outside some clinics.

The Home Office said that while there had been examples of anti-abortion protesters “handing out model foetuses, displaying graphic images” and even assaulting clinic visitors, such instances were too infrequent to justify a blanket ban.

A written statement from the department said “a small number” – 36 – of the 363 abortion clinics in England and Wales experienced protests and demonstrations, and upsetting or aggressive incidents were relatively rare.

The Home Office added that while in some cases, there were “upsetting examples of harassment … what is clear from the evidence we gathered is that these activities are not the norm, and predominantly, anti-abortion activities are more passive in nature”.

Local councils have the power to introduce exclusion zones around clinics. The first to do so was Ealing in west London, successfully halting continuous picketing by anti-abortion campaigners, who were in turn sometimes opposed in the street by pro-choice demonstrators.

Some junior ministers had wanted the home secretary to introduce a blanket ban, but Javid overruled them, although they won a concession when he agreed to keep the decision under further review.

Javid’s predecessor, Amber Rudd, launched a review in November to consider introducing a national ban in order to prevent uneven regulation around the country.

At the time, Rudd signalled her enthusiasm for tightening up the law. “The decision to have an abortion is already an incredibly personal one, without women being further pressured by aggressive protesters,” she said.

But she backed Javid’s decision on Thursday. Rudd said she had visited the Ealing abortion clinic, adding: “I saw there was no harassment, which I believe continues to reflect what has been concluded in the written ministerial statement.”

More than 150 MPs wrote to Javid in May, shortly after he took over from Rudd, calling on him to introduce a national ban. Those signing the letter included Jeremy Corbyn and Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative chairwoman of the health and social care select committee.

Rupa Huq, the Labour MP in whose constituency the Ealing clinic is located, told the House of Commons: “It seems be saying that a disproportionate number of women have to be affected before action takes place.”

A statement by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: “For several years [we] have pressed the case for buffer zones. Over the last 12 months alone, at least 29 providers have been affected, at both NHS and independent facilities.

“Intimidating staff who are providing a lawful and necessary sexual and reproductive healthcare service and approaching potentially vulnerable women accessing these services is unacceptable.”

Richard Bentley, the managing director of Marie Stopes UK, said: “We don’t agree that this is the right decision. Asking councils to use public space protection orders to manage harassment on a clinic-by-clinic basis is a step forward, but it can only ever be a sticking plaster.

“PSPOs are not permanent measures and risk creating a postcode lottery in which some women are protected from harassment while others aren’t.”