Abortion Rights statement on campaign for abortion access in Scotland, December 2015

See statement on the Abortion Rights website

Abortion Rights is the national pro-choice campaign, working to defend and extend women’s rights and access to free, safe, legal abortion. We oppose any attack on the 1967 Abortion Act, whilst also arguing for the improvements which would allow women to make their own reproductive decisions without legal barriers, obstructions or delays. We seek to improve women’s access to, and experience of, abortion, in the UK, in particular supporting the campaign for women’s rights in Northern Ireland, where access to choice on abortion is still denied. Currently there are barriers to women in Scotland seeking later terminations in line with the provisions of the 1967 Act.

In the recent Independence Referendum in Scotland Abortion Rights took no position on where legal powers should lie. Following the Referendum result and the subsequent rushed announcement of the intention to devolve abortion law to the Scottish Parliament, Abortion Rights signed a joint statement calling for abortion law to be removed from the Scotland Bill procedure, to allow for full discussions with women’s groups, service providers, and all stakeholders on this important healthcare issue. That has not happened. In Scotland, as the UK Government presses ahead with its devolution proposal, Abortion Rights will continue to argue to defend and extend women’s rights and access to free, safe, legal abortion, provided through the National Health Service, allowing women to make their own decisions.