"Need a protection zone"

Closing ranks for a no-go zone in front of Bregenz Regional Hospital

Anti-abortion activists demonstrate outside Bregenz Hospital several times a week.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

The front against those opponents of abortion who have been demonstrating in front of Bregenz Regional Hospital for some time is growing. As a result, the pressure on politicians to finally find a solution is also growing. 

Health Minister Johannes Rauch and his Green Party colleagues in the state have already spoken out clearly in favor of a no-abortion zone, as have the SPÖ and NEOS. The Vorarlberg ÖVP and the Freedom Party, on the other hand, have so far remained silent.

The biggest problem, however, is the legal hurdles: The right of assembly is a valuable asset in Austria, and protection zones can only be set up in absolutely exceptional cases. Thomas Steurer, Central Works Council of the Provincial Hospitals, believes that if the laws do not permit a no-go zone, then they must be changed: "Regardless of who is in the federal government after the election, a solution must be found as quickly as possible. The patients affected suffer massively from the constant hostility and the staff also find the situation very stressful." His position is clear: "There is a right to demonstrate and assemble, but patients also have a right to treatment. If staff also feel harassed, the government must react and advocate protective measures so that employees in public institutions can do their work without restriction!"

No matter who sits in the federal government after the election, a solution must be found as quickly as possible. The patients affected suffer massively from the constant hostility and the staff also find the situation very stressful.

Thomas Steurer, Zentralbetriebsrat

Is Vienna a good role model?
However, there may also be a legal solution without interfering with fundamental rights. In Vienna, for example, the Gynmed-Ambulatorium was able to obtain effective protection for patients in the Vienna State Security Act back in 2005. Since then, this law has provided for penalties of up to 700 euros for religious fundamentalist opponents of abortion. However, this law only exists in the federal capital so far.

Christian Fiale from Gynmed is therefore calling for the relevant paragraph to be rolled out across the whole of Austria, as there is definitely a need for it: "Just like in Bregenz, fundamentalists patrolled outside clinics all over Austria and forced plastic embryos, rosaries and prayer books on women. That is unacceptable psychological pressure in an already stressful situation!"