Nichola Dowell, Ivari Kare, Cllr Sabrina Francis, Cllr Adam Harrison, and Louise McCudden

ANTI-CHOICE protesters are harassing women outside a Camden abortion clinic up to three times a week.

People accessing essential healthcare at the MSI Reproductive Choices clinic in Whitfield Street, Fitzrovia. are met with up to four “pro life” demonstrators standing right outside the centre, arguing with them to stop going through with their abortion.

Protesters arrive around 10am and leave at 2pm, stopping patients as they walk in and holding “vigils” for aborted foetuses.

Clinical services matron Nichola Dowell, who manages the centre, told the New Journal: “They’re stopping people to have a conversation and just saying ‘we can help. You don’t have to do this.’ They’re offering leaflets and rosary beads.

“There is a lot of misinformation [on the leaflets], about what abortion is doing, what a foetus looks like at a particular stage of gestation.”

Previous leaflets incorrectly stated that having an abortion causes cancer, suicidal thoughts and “damage to maternal instinct with any other children you have”.

Staff members, particularly newer recruits, have been “shocked” and “disturbed” by the ramping up of demonstrations since the clinic reopened after refurbishment.

Ms Dowell added: “Some of them feel a bit intimidated because they’re coming here to do health care and they’re trying to be stopped. The looks they get coming in.

“There was a larger group out there at some point, and they were quite aggressive to some of our team members, using vulgar words, swearing, saying ‘you should be ashamed of yourself’ and ‘it’s not right what you’re doing’. It wasn’t very nice.”

Patients have called the centre before appointments to share that they are worried about coming in because of the people standing outside.

Ms Dowell said: “We’ve had to try to reassure people and maybe meet them down the road to escort them in so they don’t get harassed. We’ve had to go out and say ‘please give this person some space, they need to be able to make their own decisions.’”

In May last year, legislation was introduced to prevent anti-choice groups from intimidating women within 150 metres from an abortion clinic in England and Wales.

But the Home Office has since backtracked, and delayed the implementation of “safe zones”.

A public consultation on how the new legislation should be implemented closed in January. MSI has said the proposed guidance is “incredibly disheartening” and will “cause confusion about what the legislation means for the police and women”.

Ward councillor Sabrina Francis said: “The services that MSI is providing our community are critical and no one should feel shame or stigma around accessing abortion care. From speaking to residents in Camden, there is very strong support of the prevention of anti-choice groups targeting women as they enter clinics.”

Her colleague Councillor Adam Harrison added: “It’s disturbing to hear how anti-choice groups continue to cause distress for women entering abortion clinics in our community. We are calling on the Home Office to rethink this guidance and prioritise the protection of women.”

The Home Office said guidance will be finalised by spring.

A spokesperson said: “It is completely unacceptable that anyone should feel harassed or intimidated whilst exercising their legal right to access abortion services.

“We are currently considering all responses to the consultation and final guidance will be published in due course.”