New safe access zones – to protect women and girls accessing abortion services, information, advice and counselling, and protect staff working at them – will be created at Craigavon and Daisy Hill Hospitals.
They are among eight planned at health service locations across Northern Ireland which will be in place from this Friday, September 29.
Five NI Health and Social Care Trusts will introduce the zones on this date.
Craigavon and Daisy Hill are being planned within the Southern Trust jurisdiction.
Safe Access Zones are being established under NI Assembly.
It means it will be illegal for those accessing them to be impeded, recorded, influenced or to be caused harassment, alarm or distress within these zones.
Under the legislation, safe access zones can be established in the vicinity of health care premises providing lawful abortions, as well as at premises where information, advice or counselling about abortion services are provided.
The zones will include the protected premises where these services are provided, as well as adjoining public space between 100m-250m from entrances or exits of the protected premises.
Information on the location of each Safe Access Zone will be displayed at all protected premises and published on the Department of Health and HSC Trust websites from Friday. Public signage will highlight the legal requirements at each.
The zones will only apply to the strictly designated public space areas and they do not apply to private properties.
The legislation enabling their establishment is the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act (Northern Ireland) 2023.
The others are planned for Belfast Trust – College Street, Belfast Trust – Bradbury Wellbeing and Treatment Centre; Northern Trust – Causeway Hospital; Western Trust – Altnagelvin Hospital; South Eastern Trust – Lagan Valley Hospital, South Eastern Trust – Ulster Hospital.
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