Abortion Rights Scotland Annual Report 2025-2026
It has been another very busy year for Abortion Rights Scotland.
On the 28th of September 2025 we organised a meeting to mark the International Safe Abortion Day. The event took place at the Edinburgh City chambers, with attendees inperson and over Zoom. The event featured speakers on the lived realities of people seeking abortions in Malawi, Malta, Scotland and the USA and was followed by a discussion with members and speakers. We are very grateful for the speakers, members, and for the Edinburgh City Chambers and the spaces they provided on the day.
On the 29th and 30th October 2025 Scottish Trade Union (STUC) Women’s Conference was held in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. We were once again delighted to engage with the many trade union members attending our stall, over the course of the two day conference, updating them on the progress of the ‘Decriminalisation’ campaign over the past year. Sinead, who is a member of Abortion Rights Scotland and an abortion provider was invited to present on behalf of Abortion Rights Scotland at the conference. She gave an update (via video link) on Abortion Rights Scotland’s campaigns and events and focused on the need for decriminalisation of abortion in Scotland.
We welcome the Scottish Government’s Review of Abortion Law in Scotland Expert Group: report, in the steps it is taking towards modernising the AborUon Act 1967. However, concern remains that the reforms do not go far enough. Retaining a 24-week limit for most abortions and keeping the two health professional requirement for later procedures are seen as inconsistent with abortion at all stages being regulated as per other healthcare matters.
In January members of Abortion Rights Scotland collaborated with Engender for their Let's Change the Act Campaign (LCTA). During the members day, ARS members spoke about the work of ARS and AR, encouraging people to become a member and participate in the upcoming International Women's Day march. This was followed by a facilitated poster and banner making session for attendees. This was led by ARS arts worker Nyree, who is a qualified Art Therapist.
Scottish Parliament Elections It was important for us that abortion was discussed during the 2026 election campaign. We therefore we put together a small campaign to raise awareness of abortion and gain support for the work of Abortion Rights and Let’s Change the Act. The campaign centred on encouraging members and supporters to ask their candidates three questions:
ONE: Do you support the right to choose abortion?
TWO: Do you support fully funded, abortion provision by NHS Scotland - free, safe, local?
THREE: Do you support the campaign, “Let’s Change the Act”, to decriminalise abortion in
Scotland, and ensure abortion is treated like all other healthcare?
We hosted the campaign on our website with background information and publicised the
campaign by running three videos online created by our members. We distributed over
4,000 leaflets at hustings, meetings, and events across Scotland. We were grateful to the STUC who circulated our leaflet to all delegates at their April conference.
On Saturday 25th April 2026 abortion rights supporters gathered on Lothian Road in
Edinburgh to stand up for the right of everyone who needs an abortion to have one - safely, legally, locally, free of harassment. This annual event has been organised by Abortion Rights Scotland since 2012. It is a counter-protest against a pro-life prayer chain against the 1967 Abortion Act. This year’s pro-choice celebration was intersectional, lively, and cheerful, showing the strength and breadth of our support.
We continue to be involved in the work of Lets Change the Act (LCTA) and were very happy to be able to promote LCTA on social media, in the national Abortion Rights newsletter, when addressing STUC women conference, by participating in events, and as part of the work of our election campaign which called for support for LCTA.
This year has seen the continuing rise of the far right which we see as a potential threat to abortion provision in Scotland. We are pleased to be able to give our support to Women Against the Far Right.
We took our banner on a number of protest this year and our presence was always well received: Scotland Demands Better march; Edinburgh Unity march, which we were also invited to speak at; International Women’s Day march where we gave out election leaflets, announced the Lothian Road event, and spoke to the press; Edinburgh May Day March where we had a well visited stall; and our protest in opposition to the 40 Days for Life vigil in Glasgow.
We have acknowledged our disappointment at the Scottish Government not appointing a women’s health minister and our concern that the Health, Care and Sport Committee Convenor, Reform MSP Helen McDade, has drawn comparisons between pregnant women seeking abortions and feral cats.
Our delegates attended monthly Abortion Rights National Executive meetings, sharing what has been happening in Scotland and reporting back on activities in England and Wales. We now have space in the national weekly newsletter to post updates on our work.
We would like to thank members and supporters who have contributed to the success of our events and given their continued support. We would also like to thank all the Trade Union branches who have continued to affiliate to Abortion Right Scotland.
September 2026
Abortion Rights Scotland Steering Group
Abortion Rights Scotland Annual Report 2024-2025
A number of online meetings have been held for Abortion Rights members, including a presentation from Dr Leah McCabe on her research on abortion politics in the UK (Leverhulme Project); in conversation with the director and lead from Midnight Cowboy Radio; Gillian McKay MSP on the Safe Access Zones (Scotland) Bill; and the Engender Report on Decriminalisation, published May 2024. Our membership has increased in recent months, with more campaign activities possible, but this has reduced capacity to hold regular open meetings.
There has been a steady stream of requests from journalists for comment on various stories relating to abortion services in Scotland, from print, social media and radio, and Audrey Brown has responded as our press contact. Abortion Rights Scotland has been on the streets– we took our banner and campaign cards and badges along to: Women’s March in Edinburgh on Saturday 18th January; Edinburgh International Women’s Day demonstration on Saturday 8th March, and the Edinburgh May Day march on 3rd May, building support for the Sat 26th April event on Lothian Road.
On Saturday 26th April about a hundred and sixty abortion rights supporters
gathered on Lothian Road in Edinburgh to stand up for the right of everyone who
needs an abortion to have one - safely, legally, locally, free of harassment. This annual event since 2012 is a counter-protest against a prolife prayer chain against the 1967 Abortion Act. This year’s prochoice celebration was intersectional, lively, and cheerful, showing the strength and breadth of our support.
Liaison with STUC – We attended the STUC Women’s Conference in Glasgow in October 2024 and were pleased to receive the support of the STUC Women’s Committee, including being photographed with the ARS ‘Abortion is healthcare - decriminalisation now’ banner. We ran a raffle and did some leafleting for ARS at the conference and placed an ARS advert in the programme.
Abortion Rights Scotland funded a stall at the STUC Congress 2025 in Dundee in
April. This provided us with a great opportunity to advocate for reproductive rights, particularly our current campaign for decriminalisation of abortion and share our message with trade unionists, politicians, journalists and other campaigners, and to expand our membership and affiliations with trade unions and their branches. We had a Co-Chair’s call with Kate Ramsden on behalf of STUC Women’s Committee members, who are now receiving ARS newsletters, and Jaki Lambert (STUC WC/RCM) will pick up liaison with ARS and with the Engender co-ordinated coalition on decriminalisation campaign work.
Abortion Rights Scotland participated in an Engender/ Centre for Reproductive
Rights workshop Edinburgh 11/12th February on developing a strategy for campaign on decriminalisation in Scotland. Subsequent meetings have been held in March and May, and a campaign planning workshop will take place on 4th June for this emerging coalition of civic society organisations in Scotland. ARS has signed up to be part of this coalition.
ARS has regular attendance at the Cross Party Group on Women’s Health in the
Scottish Parliament, which has been meeting online, covering a range of topics in the last year, including: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS); Hormonal Health; Endometriosis.
We have occasional participation in the Voice for Choice network of abortion service providers and campaigners. Meetings have taken reports from Scotland but are generally more focussed on the Westminster Parliament. Joint campaign work on decriminalisation, parliamentary debates and legislative Bills or amendments. Leah McCabe University of Edinburgh is conducting research on campaigning
around abortion provision in the UK. Some of our members have contributed to this ongoing project.
ARS made a written submission to the Scottish Labour Policy forum in January – this is the early stages of drawing up Scottish Labour’s manifesto. Abortion Rights Scotland campaign cards were distributed at Scottish Labour Women’s conference in Stirling in November 2024.
In January ARS signed up to the Engender co-ordinated joint Shadow report from civic Scotland on progress on meeting the terms of the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions committee (Scottish Parliament) is considering a Petition PE2126 from Gemma Clark on abortion access up to 24 weeks in Scotland, as in 1967 Act. ARS has shared the petition, and is following its progress. At her request, ARS met with Carol Mochan MSP, Scottish Labour spokesperson on Women’s Health, and Carol’s office is assisting with following up some research and some Parliamentary questions.
In August 2024 we linked up with Lauren Dietzel (producer) and Ally Ibach (performer), Midnight Cowboy Radio, a theatre production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, on the theme of reproductive rights under attack in America. We followed this up with an online call prior to the American elections, and added our voice to the campaign to ensure American citizens living abroad had registered to vote.
We have supported the campaign on Safe Access Zones, and welcomed the passing of the legislation which came into force 24 Sept 2024 https://www.gov.scot/
publications/abortion-services-safe-access-zones/
For International Safe Abortion Day (September 28th) ARS made a series of posts for FB, Instagram and Twitter which were well received.
In 2024 the Scottish Government established the Abortion Law Review Expert Group. This is chaired by Professor Anna Glasier.
/www.gov.scot/groups/abortion-law-review-expert-group/
An Advisory Group was also set up to increase engagement with third sector and other organisations, committed to improving abortion services. Principles were established for the Advisory Group’s brief, and ARS members has been involved throughout, attending the Advisory Group and supporting that representative (Jill Wood Engender) on the Expert Group. The Expert Group should report later in 2025. Engagement with the national Abortion Rights Executive
Since 2016, all responsibility for healthcare was devolved from the Westminster Parliament to the Scottish Parliament. Any matters affecting abortion provision, relevant activity, legislative plans, changes to service provision are reported between the Abortion Rights Executive Committee and the AR Scotland Steering Group, by two designated members who are nominated at the AR Scotland AGM, also taking up places on the ARS Steering group. Anne Dean and Lynsey Mitchell have represented Scotland on the national Executive this year, and reports have included fundraising and campaigning activities, parliamentary committee meetings and lobbying of parliamentarians and trades union organisations including TUC/STUC and liaison with healthcare professionals and providers working in abortion care.
May 2025
Abortion Rights Scotland Steering Group