Protests calling for buffer zones outside Scottish abortion clinics will be held at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The demonstrations, organised by student-run campaign group, Back Off Scotland, will take place for the next 40 consecutive days.
Organisers are calling for the Scottish Government to implement protest-free buffer zones outside of all clinics providing abortion services across Scotland.
Currently, the government has committed to by-laws for local authorities that wish to introduce buffer zones. The issue is now being taken forward as a planned Members’ Bill by Green MSP, Gillian Mackay, following a debate in the Scottish Parliament in November 2021.
Although the SNP made buffer zone commitments in their 2021 manifesto, Programme for Government, and Women’s Health Strategy, the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Minister, Maree Todd MSP, has continually passed her responsibility on to local councils.
However, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) Counsel has confirmed that this must be addressed nationally, and to do so on a local authority basis would be unlawful.
Commenting on today’s return of anti-choice protestors, Back Off Scotland Co-Founder and Director, Lucy Grieve, said: “It’s deeply inappropriate that these anti-choice protests have returned to abortion clinics across Scotland. It’s time that the Scottish Government does right thing and puts an end to this sinister presence women are faced with when accessing healthcare. The government must take ownership of their responsibility and implement buffer zones nationally.”
Lily Roberts, a sociology student at Glasgow University who faced protestors when she accessed abortion services at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, is a strong advocate for abortion buffer zones.
She said: “When I went in for my abortion procedure at 7am I was confronted by around 15 to 20 protesters with placards, and they were handing out cards. During my procedure, I felt myself dreading coming out the hospital because there was essentially a full picket line of people I had to walk through.
"It’s violent to impose such a politicised opinion on people in that manner - especially in a health care setting. People attend these clinics for all sorts of reasons, so all sorts of people are having to face this barrage of harassment. It’s completely out of order.”
Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “The Scottish Government believes all women in Scotland should be able to access timely abortion care without judgment, within the limits of the law, should they require it.
“I have convened a working group with partners such as CoSLA, Police Scotland and affected Councils and Health Boards to seek to find an appropriate way forward as soon as possible in relation to protests or vigils outside abortion clinics.
“The working group is continuing to explore ways to ensure that women can access abortion services without feeling harassed or intimidated.”
