Nicola Sturgeon in Holyrood
(Picture: PA Wire)Nicola Sturgeon has backed establishling buffer zones around abortion clinics to allow women to access services “free of harassment or intimidation”.
The Scottish First Minister was speaking as an abortion summit is being held in Edinburgh which aims to ensure women’s access to abortion services.
Ms Sturgeon said the summit comes at a particularly important time after the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, which she described as “one of the darkest days for women's rights in my lifetime”.
Ms Sturgeon said the proper focus for anyone protesting against abortion should be Parliament - not hospitals.
She said: “Gatherings of this kind create additional stress for anyone using these facilities, for any purpose, and for those who work in them.
“But for women accessing abortion services the upset, distress and fear that they cause can be profound.
“At what is already a very stressful time, women are being forced to see or make their way past these groups on the way in.
“And once they're inside, on top of everything else, there's the knowledge that they may have to see them again on the way out.
“In my view, the current situation is unacceptable, and it's one which we must address as a matter of urgency. I am determined that we do so.
“There are issues that we need to solve to establish buffer zones through legislation but if we work together in a spirit of solidarity, I am confident we can find a way."
In March, New Zealand introduced legislation which means there are safe areas of up to 150 metres around certain abortion facilities on a case-by-case basis if they request it.
The summit will bring together representatives from local government, the police, the NHS and will include cross-party representation.
“It comes at a particularly important time given the overturning of Roe v Wade in the United States,” said Ms Sturgeon.
According to reports, no health board in Scotland provides abortion care up to the longstanding legal limit of 24 weeks to the women in its area, meaning some women are forced to travel to England.
Ms Sturgeon said the summit would consider “in general terms” what needs to be done to improve second trimester abortion access.
Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay, who will attend the summit, last month launched a consultation on her proposed Member's Bill, which would see 150-metre buffer zones put in place around healthcare facilities which provide abortion services.
The Scottish Government said it is committed to working constructively with Ms Mackay on her Bill.
