Abortion in Scotland: Women's reproductive rights must be defended – Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP

Abortion is a life-changing decision for women. It is also a life-saving treatment for women.

People protest outside the US Supreme Court after the Roe v Wade ruling was overturned, ending the federal right to abortion (Picture: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

And I am unequivocal about this: it is a fundamental human right and a basic healthcare need.

Commenting on the case which made abortion a constitutional right in the US, the American author, Kathryn Kolbert said of Roe v Wade: “This landmark decision… not only protects rights of bodily integrity and autonomy, but has enabled millions of women to participate fully and equally in society.”

But now, that decision has been overturned, uprooting and devastating the ongoing fight for women’s rights. The land of the free is, now, suddenly, a lot less free.

The unpleasant reality is that human rights are fragile: they can be diluted and they can be removed. And that is why we must keep asking ourselves: are we doing enough to serve our most vulnerable?

I have watched in horror as the number of anti-abortion protests outside Scottish hospitals has risen. In Scotland, 70 per cent of reproductive-age women live in a health board which has been targeted by anti-choice protesters over five years. In 2019, more than 100,000 women faced harassment about their decision when they attended a medical appointment.

The Roe v Wade decision will only embolden the protests and harassment that women are facing every day.

The reasons for terminating a pregnancy are complex and multi-layered. I am aware that as a man I will never fully understand these reasons, nor will I be put in a position where I need to.

The women I have met, however, tell me they do not take the decision to abort a child lightly. Many are women who have been victims of unimaginable crimes. Many are women who know that they cannot provide a good quality of life for their child. They are all women who are making informed and rational decisions about their own bodies.

For years, I have been calling on the Scottish Government to implement buffer zones within 150 meters of abortion clinics and hospitals, preventing protesters from harassing female patients.

I recently attended the First Minister’s long overdue emergency summit on abortion. I called on the government to fulfil their manifesto pledge and implement abortion buffer zones.

There is no doubt that the SNP’s record on women’s reproductive rights has been questionable. SNP MSP John Mason has backed anti-abortion activists and stated doctors at clinics “push” abortion to patients.

Nicola Sturgeon is up for the challenge of navigating some of the trickiest issues in constitutional law, lodging a request for the Supreme Court to review her independence bill within the space of an afternoon.

And yet, when it comes to taking on the vague and unspecified “legal complexities” of protecting women, all she can offer are yearly delays.

This concerning, non-committal approach to women’s safety needs to stop.

The First Minister has finally agreed to look at the implementation of buffer zones. But if we have learned one lesson from recent events, it is this: we cannot afford to be complacent.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats will continue to press the government to prioritise women’s reproductive rights. It is long overdue that women in Scotland are given the respect and empathy they so desperately need and deserve.

Alex Cole-Hamilton is Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Edinburgh Western