Case dropped against Scottish grandmother arrested for holding sign in buffer zone

All charges have been dropped against a 75-year-old Scottish grandmother for holding a sign within an abortion facility buffer zone.

Key Takeaways:

• Rose Docherty was arrested in February for holding a sign offering conversation while standing within 200 feet of a hospital in Scotland that commits abortions.

• All of the charges against her have now been dropped.

The Details:

All charges have been dropped against Rose Docherty, who was arrested in February outside of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow for holding a sign that read, “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.” She was standing within 200 meters of the hospital, which is a “safe access zone” under Scotland’s abortion law. She was the first person arrested under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zone) Act, which took effect in September 2024.

“This is a victory not just for me, but for everyone in Scotland who believes we should be free to hold a peaceful conversation,” said Docherty. “I stood with love and compassion, ready to listen to anyone who wanted to talk. Criminalizing kindness has no place in a free society.” She also said, “I feel it’s a victory for common sense.”

Under that law, it is a crime to protest within 200 meters of a facility that commits abortion. This law is more extreme than in other parts of the UK; buffer zones in England and Wales extend 150m radius from an abortion facility, while Northern Ireland’s zone extends a 100m radius from an abortion facility but can be extended as far as 250m.

Alliance Defending Freedom International, which provided Docherty with legal services, announced on Thursday that the public prosecutor had dropped her case and the formal warning against her, which she had ignored before her arrest, telling BBC Scotland News that it was “unjust.”

“To be warned for having stood on the streets of Glasgow offering to have a conversation if anyone wants to come and speak to you — it just seems preposterous.” She said the buffer zone law is “all about intimidation, harassment and influencing.”

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Services (COPFS) said it carefully considered Docherty’s case and would take no further legal action.

“No one should fear arrest for offering a consensual conversation,” said Lorcan Price, legal counsel for ADF International. “Rose’s case is a stark example of how ‘buffer zone’ laws can be weaponised to silence peaceful expression.”

Why It Matters:

Pro-lifers are known for sidewalk counseling efforts that have helped countless women choose life when faced with pressure to abort. It’s sadly common for women to be coerced, manipulated, and pressured by family members or partners into having abortions. One study found that 64% of post-abortive women reported that they had been coerced into the procedure.

Sidewalk counselors stand as the last line of defense to protect women and babies from abortion by offering them the resources and support they need to choose life with confidence, which is why abortion businesses want to silence them.

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