​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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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