Letter urges First Minister to lead ‘emergency summit’ on abortion rights
A letter to Nicola Sturgeon has claimed access to women’s healthcare in the face of antiabortion protests has reached a “critical point” as it calls on the First Minister to hold an “emergency summit”.
The letter, with lead signatory Labour MSP Monica Lennon, outlines a “surge in targeted harassment”, which it claims is causing women across Scotland “great distress”.
The document, seen exclusively by The Scotsman, calls on Ms Sturgeon to convene an “emergency summit” to allow MSPS, abortion rights groups, healthcarestaffandthewomen directly affected to get “around the table” and talk about “what they are being faced with when seeking to access legal, essential healthcare”. The letter has 15signatories,withgroupssuch as Back Off Scotland, Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis Scotland and Welfare Scotland included as signatories.
More than 100 anti-abortion protesters have gathered outside Scotland’s largest hospital, the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, and 76 consultants wrote to women’s health minister Maree Todd in the past month calling for antiabortionprotestbufferzonesto be introduced.
Ms Lennon said: "The antiabortion protesters targeting healthcare facilities are having aterribleimpactonwomenand
I think it's important that they areconfrontedwiththatreality.
“The Scottish Government’s failure to take swift action is only emboldening the protesters, and gatherings are getting bigger and more frequent. There is now an urgent need for the Scottish Government to set up buffer zones through nationallegislation,becausewe need harassment-free and safe accesstoabortionhealthcarein Scotland.”
Buffer zones have yet to be implemented in Scotland, despite backing for such action within the SNP’S manifesto and the Programme for Government. The letter states: “We are writing to you to convey our concernsoverabortionrightsin Scotland and are calling on you to convene an emergency summit, to show strong leadership on the reproductive health and rights of women in Scotland.
“Lackofpoliticalactionleaves abortion providers feeling that they do not have the support to provide the care women need.”
Anti-abortionprotestscontinue in Scotland and on Wednesday,protestersheldsignssaying “abortion is murder” outside thesandyfordclinicinglasgow.
Within the letter, an account of a women who had an abortion for medical reasons is given. The woman states she was “haunted by an image from a poster” after she had to pass an anti-choice protest following her abortion.
The letter also highlights “a lack of urgency” over telemedical abortion permanent provisions, allowing women to conduct virtual consultations with medics from their home and then be prescribed with appropriate pills. Permanent provisions have been implemented elsewhere in the UK such as England and Wales.
Over the weekend, SNP MSP for Shettleston, John Mason, said some abortion providers inscotlandwere“pushingabortion without laying out the pros and cons”.
Ms Todd said in a statement: “There is no place in our society for the harassment, abuse and intimidation of women and girls accessing healthcare services.