MORE than 2,000 people have now signed a petition calling for a ‘safe zone’ to be created outside a York abortion clinic, which would bar future prayer vigils by anti-abortion campaigners.

The organiser of the petition, local resident Tom Shillito, says he hopes to present it to City of York Council later this month.

It calls on the authority to follow other councils’ examples and "protect our communities from fear and intimidation" by creating the zone outside the currently closed British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinic in Wenlock Terrace, off Fulford Road, where a ‘40 Days For Life’ vigil is being staged every day until November 1.

But organisers of the vigil have claimed the petition, which can be seen at change.org/yorksafezones, is trying to infringe a legal right to pray in a public place, and say it is "powerfully meaningful" to pray outside a clinic where possibly hundreds of abortions have occurred.

“Life should be given a chance to exist, despite the suffering that inevitably comes with it,”added coordinator Sebastian Sanyal.

Mr Shillito said yesterday that he knew two women who had had abortions as teenagers after becoming pregnant following sexual assaults.

“Had they been forced to carry their pregnancies full-term it would have ruined their lives,” he said.

“They were children, incapable of supporting a child, and having one would likely have prevented them from going to university and pursuing their careers.”

He said one of them lived in the clinic area and has often seen the vigil.

“She feels judged and intimidated by them, and their presence has brought back disturbing memories of that time,” he said.

He added that some local students had started a counter-demonstration and were working together to ensure they were there whenever the anti-abortionists were there.

“The response from the community and passers-by has been incredible, with almost universal support for the counter-protest,” he claimed.

He said that even though the current vigil was soon to finish, action was needed now to prevent it returning in the spring.