Abortion buffer zones bill backed by MSPs during first vote at Holyrood

Laws to create buffer zones outside hospitals and clinics providing abortion services in Scotland have been backed by MSPs.

The Safe Access Zones Bill passed stage one at Holyrood today after a majority of MSPs voted in favour of the proposed legislation. The bill, created by Scottish Greens MSP Gillian Mackay, will now officially progress to stage two, where it will receive amendments and further scrutiny ahead of the final vote at stage three.

If passed, it would create 200m safe access zones outside 30 hospitals and clinics providing abortion services. The areas - otherwise known as 'buffer zones' - would prevent anti-choice campaign groups from protesting outside.

A similar bill has already been passed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Ms Mackay thanked all of the MSPs who have voted to support her Safe Access Zones bill in today’s Stage 1 debate.

She described it as a key moment for the bill, which will now proceed to stage 2 where it will receive further scrutiny, before a final vote at stage 3.

Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay (Image: PA)

She said: “I am proud to have received the support of so many MSPs from across our chamber.

“It is a sign of how seriously our Parliament takes this issue, and the importance that MSPs from all parties put on protecting reproductive rights and safe access to healthcare.

"Today we have taken a big step towards delivering buffer zones. But the story of this bill isn’t about what happens in parliament. It is about the totally inappropriate and completely unnecessary pain and intimidation that has been inflicted on so many people.

“All over Scotland, there are women who have sought abortion care and felt unable to defend themselves in the face of activity designed to shame and frighten them. My bill will put a stop to this.

“A lot of the people who have shared their stories with me have been left feeling judged and vulnerable by protesters, and some have felt scared accessing healthcare they are entitled to.

"It is sad and infuriating that my bill is even necessary, but I don’t want anyone else to experience this kind of harassment.

“I want this to be the strongest bill that it can be, and I look forward to working with MSPs from all parties to ensure it is as robust as possible and that we end the protests for good.”

The bill will create 200m 'buffer zone areas' outside Scots hospitals (Image: Daily Record)

Back off Scotland, which has been campaigning for the right to harassment-free access to abortion services since 2020, said it was "delighted" by the latest development.

Co-founder Lucy Grieve said: "We're delighted that the Bill is now at Stage 1, and are hopeful that it will pass. It has been a long, and at times very difficult, four years of campaigning and it feels great to get to this stage. We’ve received so many messages from women across Scotland who have faced this harassment first-hand.

"From a university student seeking an abortion after her pill failed; to a teenager who had been sexually assaulted and required sexual healthcare from a clinic; to a woman who had to abort her baby due to severe foetal abnormalities; to doctors that preform abortions themselves; the stories are endless and wide-reaching. There was one common theme though: that they all felt intimidated and harassed by the presence of these protestors.

"It's absolutely right that this legislation has been brought forward to the Scottish Parliament - it really isn't a moment too soon. We hope that politicians have listened to the stories women have bravely shared with them, and do the right thing by them."

Anti-abortion protestors outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow. (Image: Daily Record)

Fraser Sutherland, Chief Executive of Humanist Society Scotland, said: "It was pleasing to see the Parliament work on a cross-party basis together and being evidence led. There is no reasonable argument for allowing harassment of women who want to access their legal right to an abortion.

"These protests have been imported to Scotland by fundamentalist groups based in the US in a bid to replicate their toxic tactics. The reality is those opposed to abortion have lost the democratic debate on the issue and instead of campaigning for change at Parliament would rather intimidate the public and medical practitioners."

The Bill passed at stage one by 123 votes to one.

MSPs also voted unanimously to approve a legislative consent motion setting up a UK-wide compensation scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal and to approve Sarah Havlin as the Scottish Pubs Code Adjudicator.