Official figures show that last year Scotland saw a record number of abortions. Despite this, pro-life campaigners have warned that plans are afoot to incentivise even more abortions.
According to Public Health Scotland there were 18,783 abortions in the country last year, representing a rise of 55 per cent from the 12,135 procedures conducted in 2016.
The rise cannot be attributed to population growth, with figures also showing that the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 rose from 11.9 in 2016 to 17.6 last year. In both per capita and gross terms, abortion is rising.
The rise has been at least partly attributed to the increase in “at home” abortions, in which women are able to procure abortion pills without the need for an in person consultation.
A review into abortion law in Scotland, commissioned by former First Minister, Humza Yousaf, recommended that abortion be permitted for any reason prior to the 24-week limit.
While the review states that the 24-week limit should be retained, it also states that abortions after the limit can occur if certain conditions are met. Those conditions, however, are vague and subjective, one such being consideration of “the patient’s current and reasonably foreseeable physical, psychological and social circumstances”.
Right to Life UK said that, should the recommendations be implemented, Scotland would have “one of the most extreme abortion laws in the world”, and urged that the review be rejected.
The group also noted that Scotland’s abortion buffer zone laws are more extreme than in England. Whilst in England the size of the zones is legally limited to 150 metres away from abortion facilities, in Scotland it is 200 metres and can be extended if deemed necessary.
The governing SNP recently voted at their party conference to make abortion a constitutional right in an independent Scotland.
Catherine Robinson. spokesperson for Right To Life UK, said, “Instead of making extreme changes to abortion legislation in Scotland, MSPs should come together to introduce policy changes that increase protections for babies in the womb and stop pregnancy discrimination for women – policies that will save lives by protecting and supporting both mother and child.”
“This rise has also accompanied the fifth year that abortion services outside of a clinical setting have been operating in Scotland. Ahead of at-home abortions being permanently made available, a large number of MSPs, MPs and medical professionals warned about the negative impact these schemes would have on women."
The requirement for in person consultations ahead of an abortion at home should be “urgently” reinstated, she added.
