"Buddies" to escort women through protesters to Amsterdam's abortion clinic
From this fall, women in Amsterdam can ask for a “buddy” to accompany them to the abortion clinic in the city if they are worried about getting past protesters. Such buddies are already assisting women in Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. Anti-abortion demonstrations currently happen several times a month in front of the clinic on Sarphatistraat, AT5 reports.
“We launched the abortion buddies program to ensure that no one has to pass the demonstrators alone. We also notice that people, regardless of the demonstrators, really enjoy not being alone. Some women do not dare to tell family or friends, and some just don’t have anyone to take with them,” Djoeke Gerding of the Samen Naar de Kliniek foundation said to the Amsterdam broadcaster.
“The buddy comes with you to the clinic on the day of your appointment. They’re just someone who supports you if you’re afraid to go alone,” Gerding said.
In November, the Amsterdam city council voted to establish a buffer zone around the clinic to keep demonstrators at a distance. Many cities, including Arnhem and The Hague, already maintain such a buffer zone.
Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema is hesitant about implementing a buffer zone because it interferes with the right to demonstrate. In Utrecht, for example, anti-abortion protesters filed a lawsuit against the city’s buffer zone, and the city had to scrap it. The city appealed against the court ruling.
