Edinburgh campaigners furious after abortion clinic buffer zone group scrapped by Scottish Government

The group has lashed out at the move warning it could mean delays in bringing in laws to protect women from harassment.

Pro life protesters

An Edinburgh campaign group has hit out at Scottish Government over delays bringing in ‘safe access zones’ protecting women from harassment outside abortion clinics.

It comes after the ministerial working group on buffer zones has been scrapped, before a bill has been drafted that would stop protesters demonstrate within 150m of a healthcare setting clinic. Women accessing abortions and other healthcare at clinics faced more anti-abortion demonstrations over Easter at clinics across the country, from Chalmers in Edinburgh to Queen Elizabeth hospital in Glasgow. Gillian Mackay MSP is currently trying to get her member’s bill establishing “safe access zones” through Holyrood. If passed it would stop protesters demonstrate within 150m of a healthcare setting clinic. Now campaigners are worried Scotland is lagging behind the rest of the UK on bringing in legislation to protect women outside clinics.

Earlier this year, the Commons voted to introduce the protest free spaces in England and Wales. Lucy Grieve from Back Off Scotland said the Government has "sat on their hands” over buffer zones. The group based in Edinburgh started up by Edinburgh university students in 2020 said they saw an increase in women reported being intimidated by groups such as 40 days for life outside Chalmers clinic.

Ms Grieve said: "Not only were campaigning groups like ours - who represent the lived experiences of those affected by the protests - frozen out of this group, we’ve also been kept in the dark about the working timeline of the Bill. It’s regretful that Scotland is now the only UK nation to not have passed buffer zone legislation and not offer women and staff protection from harassment when accessing healthcare.

"The delay in this legislation has nothing to do with carefully crafting a bill – there is no drafted bill, and even if there was there is a clear precedent set by bills passed in other legislatures – it is solely due to a lack of leadership on the issue by decision-makers who have had the power to make real change on this since 2020 but have sat on their hands.”

More than two-thirds of Scots support the introduction of buffer zones around abortion clinics in Scotland.

Edinburgh MP Christine Jardine has criticised the move. The Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Women and Equalities said: “Disbanding this group must not mean the Scottish Government abdicating their responsibility to show leadership on this issue. "For years the Scottish Government has dragged its feet on making sure that women who may be going through a traumatic experience are protected from emotional and physical harassment. As a result we now do much less to support women than in the rest of the UK. “The proposals in Gillian Mackay’s member’s bill should be the base camp, not the summit of our ambition when it comes to protecting and expanding women’s reproductive rights.

The Scottish Government said they are now focused on supporting the drafting and development of Gillian Mackay MSP’s national Abortion Service Safe Access Zones (Scotland) Bill. Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto said: "We will continue to take forward discussions with stakeholders to ensure that robust and effective legislation is introduced as soon as possible.”