The Scottish government are to commission research on the prevalence and impact of demonstrations outside abortion clinics in Scotland – though campaigners say it’s a ‘huge disappointment’ that they could be waiting 18 months for action.

A contract notice, published recently, says Ministers are looking to better understand current practices and experiences of protests and vigils in different areas across Scotland, to inform future policy.

It comes days after 76 doctors called for buffer zones to be implemented around clinics, following a protest by 100 anti-abortion activists outside a Glasgow maternity unit.

Research is due to begin in August this year and will run until at least February 2024 according to the notice.

Lucy Grieve, co-founder of Back Off Scotland – a student-run group that has been campaigning for the introduction of 150 metre protest-free ‘buffer zones’ around abortion clinics since October 2020 – told healthandcare.scot this is too long to wait for action:

“Whilst it’s great that the government have finally recognised that this is a problem and that patient and staff voices need to be heard, it’s a huge disappointment that they’re expecting women, abortion providers, and all those who need reproductive healthcare to endure this harassment for a bare minimum of another 18 months while they gather ‘evidence’ of what we can all see is happening.”

At First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Nicola Sturgeon told parliament the Minister for Women’s Health, Maree Todd, is committed to seeing if work on buffer zones can be accelerated.

Ms Sturgeon also condemned anti-abortion protestors for “intimidating women” outside clinics - however, she affirmed that legal processes around buffer zones remain “complex”.

The Scottish government has told healthandcare.scot that work to set up the zones will continue despite the proposed research project:

“The Scottish government is committed to ensuring all women are able to access timely abortions without judgement. There is no place in our society for the harassment, abuse and intimidation of women and girls accessing healthcare services.

“As such, the First Minister made clear yesterday that work is being accelerated. This research will not stop progress being made on this issue. Work to find a way through the complex legal issues that apply to buffer zones will not have to await this research being complete.”

Northern Ireland has recently passed legislation to create ‘safe zones’ in the immediate vicinity of abortion clinics, joining Australia, Canada and several English local authorities where similar protections are in place.

Women’s Health Minister Maree Todd told parliament on Thursday that a working group to ensure women can access abortion services safely and without harassment has now met three times since being convened in December 2021.

The group agreed at its first meeting that independent research into the scale and impact of protests and vigils on patients and healthcare professionals would be useful.

In its Programme for Government, the Scottish government says it will support any local authority looking to establish buffer zones around local clinics.

However, the Scottish Greens’ health spokesperson Gillian Mackay – who intends to introduce a member’s bill to create protest-free areas at a national level – says this approach could result in a “postcode lottery”.

Back Off Scotland’s Ms Grieve says nationwide measures are now needed:

“We call on the Women’s Health Minister to show courage and implement emergency, nationwide measures to end the intimidation, harassment, and harm that these protests are causing across Scotland.”

 

Read more: Ministers publish ambitions for women’s health; Off-the-shelf morning after pill a mistake, CPS says; Call for abortion clinic protest buffer zones

 

Sign up to our bulletin for key health & social care updates straight to your inbox.