The Scottish government is facing growing calls for buffer zones around abortion clinics amid fears that potential changes to abortion rights in the United States are encouraging anti-election protesters.
A leaked draft Supreme Court ruling overturning Rowe v. Wade has exacerbated concerns about delays in the promise of the 2021 SNP manifesto to support local authorities in creating no-protest zones around clinics.
With rising levels of protest outside Glasgow and Edinburgh hospitals, Scottish Labor has called for an emergency summit to discuss the “urgent” introduction of buffer zones. Similar areas exist in a handful of local authorities in England after a landmark case in Ealing, West London.
The first SNP minister and leader, Nicholas Sturgeon, said that “women’s right to decide what happens to our own bodies is a human right” after reports that Rowe v. Wade, a 1973 case guaranteeing the right to abortion in USA, can be overturned.
She tweeted on Tuesday: “Experience tells us that abolishing the legal right to abortion does not stop abortions – it simply makes them dangerous and puts women’s lives at much greater risk.”
Sign up for the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BST
But Back Off Scotland co-founder Lucy Greave said Sturgeon’s outrage “only goes this far”. “There are real, tangible threats to access to abortion in Scotland that remain undisputed by her government. Women’s Health Minister Marie Todd said she wanted Scotland to be a world leader in women’s health, but her inaction encouraged those protesters. If she can’t take the courage to pass laws on this issue, then she must step down for someone who does. “
Campaigns and opposition politicians have become increasingly frustrated by the delays Sturgeon accused of “legal difficulties” last month, with Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton saying her government was “stagnant and distorted”.
Scottish Green Party MSP Gillian Mackay now intends to launch a membership bill to enforce legal restrictions later this month.
Calling for an immediate summit of SMEs, women’s health organizations and clinicians, Scottish Labor’s Monica Lennon said: “The Scottish Government needs to be more transparent about potential legal obstacles. Marie Todd said national legislation was not the answer, but unfortunately these delays spurred protests against abortions, which have become bigger and more intense in recent months.
On Wednesday, Lennon confronted protesters standing with placards in front of the maternity ward of Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow. “I respect your right to pray and protest, but you can pray in church, you can protest in parliament, this is a place where women have access to health care,” she said, before asking the group if they were aware of the disorder. which they cause.
“This is a very difficult period for many women due to fetal abnormalities, women and girls who have been raped, women who make choices for their own reasons. The group insisted that “this is a prayer vigil, not a protest”, but confirmed that they want to end abortion care in Scotland.
Last month, 76 QEUH consultants wrote to Todd, urging her to “show courage” and introduce “buffer zones” without protests in all abortion clinics in Scotland.
Leading signature and consultant pediatric radiologist Dr Greg Irwin said colleagues were “seriously concerned” about the protests, which can be seen and heard from patients in maternity wards, adding: “We know firsthand how painful this is. harassment for our patients, which makes it infuriating for us as clinical staff that we have to go through these groups day after day. “
Add Comment