Livia Tossici-Bolt, the 64-year-old retiree who held a sign outside an abortion clinic in the United Kingdom with the words, “Here to talk, if you want,” has been convicted. On Friday, a magistrate court found her guilty of violating a “buffer zone” around the facility in Bournemouth and ordered her to pay £20,000. Her conviction comes days after the U.S. State Department, in a rare step, said it was “monitoring” her case out of concern for freedom of speech; it now says it is “disappointed” in the court’s decision.
What was Livia’s “crime”? Standing within 150 meters of an abortion facility, where any form of “approval or disapproval” of abortion is prohibited. But she did nothing more than offer consensual conversation. Her motivation to go out on the street with her sign followed Covid lockdowns during which social interaction was restricted. Since doing so, she has had countless positive interactions with people on all manner of subjects. She’s even been invited over for tea.
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