MSP behind censorship zones pushes for abortion decriminalisation

The architect of Scotland’s abortion censorship zones now aims to decriminalise abortion.

Gillian Mackay, co-leader of the Scottish Greens and MSP for Central Scotland, spoke to The Herald of her ambition to further liberalise abortion in Scotland. She called abortion “a very normal part of health care”, claiming that current requirements, including the approval of two doctors, are merely an “administrative effort”.

In June, MPs voted to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales through an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. It has been widely criticised for opening the way for unsupervised late-term abortions.

Pressure

Mackay claimed: “Decriminalisation is long overdue. It was raised with me a lot when I was introducing my Safe Access Zones Act to curb anti-choice protest and is one of the reforms I would like to see alongside the two doctor rule.”

Scotland’s Public Health Minister Jenni Minto stated: “A review of abortion law in Scotland is already being taken forward to identify potential proposals for reforms to ensure that abortion services are first and foremost a healthcare matter.”

The Minister has caved to pressure from abortion activists by establishing a task group focussed on introducing abortion procedures between 20 and 24 weeks. Although abortion is permitted for most reasons up to 24 weeks, most Scottish healthboards only offer it up to 20 weeks’ gestation.

‘Radical and disturbing’

Abortion decriminalisation was debated in the House of Lords last month during scrutiny of the Crime and Policing Bill.

Lord Frost said: “It is foreseeable that, in practice, this will make abortions up to birth more common, endanger more women because of the medical risks of termination after 24 weeks, and create pressure for a similar decriminalisation for medical practitioners themselves.

“People will argue, ‘How can it be illegal for a doctor to help with something that is not in itself illegal?’ or they will say that doctors need to be able to perform late-term abortions to avoid the risks of terminations at home. It is the beginning of a slippery slope.”

Lord Alton of Liverpool, who was unable to attend the debate, commented: “This is radical and disturbing, a proposal which would endanger women by removing any legal deterrent against performing dangerous late-term abortions at home and likely lead to an increase in viable babies’ lives being ended.”