Abortions hit record levels in Scotland

Official figures show that last 12 months Scotland saw a record variety of abortions. Despite this, pro-life campaigners have warned that plans are afoot to incentivise much more abortions.

According to Public Health Scotland there have been 18,783 abortions within the country last 12 months, representing an increase of 55 per cent from the 12,135 procedures conducted in 2016.

The rise can’t be attributed to population growth, with figures also showing that the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 rose from 11.9 in 2016 to 17.6 last 12 months. In each per capita and gross terms, abortion is rising.

The rise has been no less than partly attributed to the rise in “at home” abortions, during which women are in a position to procure abortion pills without the necessity for an in person consultation.

A review into abortion law in Scotland, commissioned by former First Minister, Humza Yousaf, really useful that abortion be permitted for any reason prior to the 24-week limit.

While the review states that the 24-week limit must be retained, it also states that abortions after the limit can occur if certain conditions are met. Those conditions, nevertheless, are vague and subjective, one such being consideration of “the patient’s current and fairly foreseeable physical, psychological and social circumstances”.

Right to Life UK said that, should the recommendations be implemented, Scotland would have “some of the extreme abortion laws on the planet”, and urged that the review be rejected.

The group also noted that Scotland’s abortion buffer zone laws are more extreme than in England. Whilst in England the dimensions of the zones is legally limited to 150 metres away from abortion facilities, in Scotland it’s 200 metres and will be prolonged if deemed crucial.

The governing SNP recently voted at their party conference to make abortion a constitutional right in an independent Scotland.

Catherine Robinson. spokesperson for Right To Life UK, said, “Instead of constructing extreme changes to abortion laws in Scotland, MSPs should come together to introduce policy changes that increase protections for babies within the womb and stop pregnancy discrimination for girls – policies that may save lives by protecting and supporting each mother and child.”

“This rise has also accompanied the fifth 12 months that abortion services outside of a clinical setting have been operating in Scotland. Ahead of at-home abortions being permanently made available, numerous MSPs, MPs and medical professionals warned in regards to the negative impact these schemes would have on women.”

The requirement for in person consultations ahead of an abortion at home must be “urgently” reinstated, she added.