Irish Examiner view: Total ban on abortion clinic protests is overdue

More thought must be given to the geographical boundaries of proposed exclusion zones - half a mile should be the minimum

Repealing the Eighth Amendment sparked an array of protests in Ireland. Picture: Getty

The question is not whether new laws should be introduced that curtail the right to protest and picket patients and staffoutside maternity hospitals and clinics providing termination of pregnancy services. The question is: Why has it taken us so long to put them in place?

It was clear from the moment that Ireland voted massively in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment in May 2018 that dissenters would exercise ill-feelings and opposition in other ways. While it was initially promised that safe access zones would be established alongside the rollout of abortion facilities in January 2019, their implementation has become mired in a filibuster of legal and constitutional difficulties.