A bill establishing an exclusion zone of 100 metres in radius around “all healthcare premises” in the country, including outside all GP surgeries, will likely not pass constitutional muster.

That’s according to the Pro Life Campaign (PLC) who made a submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health in relation to the Bill.

The submission describes the proposed new law as “a deliberate attempt to criminalise the peaceful conduct of citizens who hold views which oppose abortion”. They also described the bill as “wildly disproportionate”.

The bill proposes prison sentences and/or fines of up to €25,000 for anyone in breach of the proposed new law.

The PLC submission says that due to the bill’s broad scope and the extent to which it infringes on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, it will “most likely not withstand a challenge before the Irish courts or before the European Court of Human Rights” in the event that it becomes law.