Most importantly, Matt is married to Libby Britton, and they have eight beautiful children and one grandchild. [courtesy 40 Days for Life.com]
Matt has a special interest in abortion provider exclusion zones and has written two papers outlining the status of the laws governing zones in both the US and the UK.
The first paper deals with exclusion-zone laws from various jurisdictions around the US, as well as with major legal challenges to the zones. Exclusion zones are referred to as bubble zones or buffer zones in the US and can be either fixed or floating, unlike in Australia, where only fixed zones are found. Pro-lifers in the the US have had some success around legal challenges on constitutional grounds.
US Exclusion Zones:US BUFFER ZONE LAW 2018
The second paper relates to the UK, where exclusion zones are known as Public Space Protection Orders or PSPO’s. PSPO’s may apply to members of the public other than pro-lifers, just as exclusion zones in Australia can limit other forms of protest. The UK’s PSPO’s are widely regarded as violations to the fundamental freedoms of pro-lifers.The latest update on a legal challenge to London’s Ealing Council PSPO, mounted by the pro-life group, Be Here For Me, can be found here.
UK Exclusion Zones: PSPO White Paper 2017-18
NOTE: These documents are overviews of the law in a particular area and are not to be considered legal advice and are not intended to be comprehensive.
Further reading:
The High Court, Abortion Clinic Speech Restrictions and the Assessment of Harm: click here
Safe Access Zones: click here
