
U.K. anti-abortion rights activist whose case caught Trump admin attention convicted of breaching protest ban
CBSN
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 order issued by the local government 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.

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