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Abortion services buffer zone bill published in Scotland

Molly Finlay
Image of pro-abortion protestors.

Molly Finlay

The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill will apply 200-meter protest-free ‘buffer zones’ to all sites providing abortion care in Scotland.

What is the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill?

Proposed by Green MSP Gillian Mackay, the bill will make it an offence to influence, prevent access, or cause harassment in an area visible or audible from the zone.

“Some of these appointments are traumatic in their nature and take a lot of will to get there in the first place,” said Mackay. “It’s about allowing people to access healthcare where they need to.”

In recent years, there has been a marked increase in groups gathering outside healthcare facilities providing abortion across the UK.

Buffer zones will consist of protected premises, any public land that forms part of the grounds of the premises, as well as 200 meters from the perimeter of those public grounds.

The bill comes less than a year after ‘safe access zones’ were signed into law in England and Wales. Scotland is the last UK Nation to introduce such a bill, with pro-choice campaigners such as Back Off Scotland consistently lobbying the Scottish government to speed up the process.

In a bid to future-proof the legislation, the bill allows for buffer zones to be extended where deemed necessary. It also allows for new premises to be added, should new healthcare facilities be built.

Will the Abortion Services Bill become law?

The bill will now be tested through a three stage process in the Scottish Parliament.

After examination by a Scottish parliamentary committee, MSP’s will be able to propose amendments to the bill. In the final stage, a debate will take place to suggest further changes, before a final vote is cast to introduce the bill as law.

Last year, the UK Supreme Court ruled in favour of Northern Ireland’s Safe Access Zones Bill, despite concerns that the bill may interfere with the rights of anti-abortion campaigners. Consultation around the Abortion Services Bill in Scotland has been met with similar opposition.

Alithea Williams, Public Policy Manager for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, stated on their website: “This bill is part of a continued campaign to punish pro-life people for attempting to be present to women in need and to witness to the humanity of the unborn.

“It would represent a massive overstep, and an infringement on fundamental freedoms.”

Despite this, proposals for the bill have already received cross-party support and backing by the Scottish government.

Gillian Mackay MSP voiced her celebration of the bill on Twitter/X, stating that “this is the strongest proposal for safe access zones in the UK.”

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service shared their support, stating: “We’re delighted to see this progress in Scotland — the last part of the UK to take action and address the anti-abortion harassment we’ve been working to stamp out for a decade.”

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Featured image courtesy of Manny Becerra on Unsplash. No changes made to this image. Image license found here.

Having recently graduated from an MA in Journalism at Edinburgh Napier University, Molly is a freelance journalist with an interest in politics and current affairs, particularly issues surrounding women and reproductive healthcare. Molly has worked as a BBC Young Reporter during COP26 and has written for Holyrood Magazine as well as Deadline News, with bylines in the Sun, Daily Express and the Mirror.

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