The report, external also pointed to buffer zone laws which prohibit protests outside abortion service centres and Public Spaces Protection Orders, powers local councils can use to ban certain anti-social activities.
Scotland implemented 200m (656ft) buffer zones in September 2024. A month later, 150m buffer zones were put in place around abortion clinics in England and Wales.
When they were introduced, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: “We will not sit back and tolerate harassment, abuse and intimidation as people exercise their legal right to healthcare.”
In April, a woman was convicted of holding a sign reading “Here to talk, if you want” outside a clinic in Bournemouth.
Livia Tossici-Bolt’s case was highlighted by Vance and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour – a bureau within the US state department.
The bureau said it was “disappointed” by the ruling. “Freedom of expression must be protected for all,” it added.
On a more positive note, the report also highlighted how “the government effectively enforced laws protecting freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the right of workers to engage in a strike or other industrial action”.