safe access zone

{{Short description|Area around an abortion clinic where demonstrations are prohibited}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

A safe access zone (SAZ) is a form of legal protection of access to abortion and is a specified distance around a reproductive healthcare clinic or service in which anti-abortion picketers cannot demonstrate, stand or communicate with patients and/or staff that enter and exit the reproductive facility. This helps to prevent pregnant girls and women that are seeking abortion services from being intimidated and harassed by anti-abortion picketers. In most states in Australia, safe access zones are an area of 150 metres (492 feet) around the entire reproductive health facility. Safe access zones are a legislative matter, meaning laws allowing safe access zones are necessary.

{{As of|2021|08|12}},{{Cite web|date=August 12, 2021|title=Safe Access Zones passes WA Parliament|url=https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/McGowan/2021/08/Safe-Access-Zones-passes-WA-Parliament.aspx|access-date=February 9, 2022|website=Government of Western Australia|archive-date=9 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209041109/https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/McGowan/2021/08/Safe-Access-Zones-passes-WA-Parliament.aspx|url-status=dead}} all states and territories in Australia have safe access zones in place.{{Cite web|title=Harassment outside abortion services now banned across Australia with historic passing of safe access zone laws in WA|url=https://www.hrlc.org.au/news/2021/8/10/harassment-abortion-banned-australia-safe-access-zone|access-date=2022-02-09|website=Human Rights Law Centre|language=en-AU}} Western Australia was the last state to implement safe access zones.

A safe access zone may be referred to as an exclusion zone.{{Cite web|title=Parliament of Victoria - Research Notes on Exclusion Zones in Australia - Update|url=https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/publications/research-papers/download/36-research-papers/13597-research-notes-on-exclusion-zones-update|access-date=2022-02-09|website=www.parliament.vic.gov.au}} As of 2024, every nation of the United Kingdom had implemented them, following votes in 2023 (Northern Ireland and England and Wales), and Scotland (2024).

There are legal protections of access to abortion in other countries.