Scottish abortion laws ‘making slow progress’

Scottish abortion laws ‘making slow progress’
Kirsteen Paterson
Sep 27, 2017

ABORTION must be removed from the criminal justice system to protect women’s rights, a new report claims.

A paper released to mark International Day of Safe Abortion today claims Scotland lags behind countries like Canada, where the process of ending a pregnancy has been decriminalised and integrated into the health system.

Feminist policy organisation Engender, which compiled the paper, says the results show how far women’s bodies and choices are regulated by the state.

Continued at source: http://www.thenational.scot/news/15561930.Scottish_abortion_laws____making_slow_progress___/


Women’s groups urge Scotland to scrap two doctors abortion rule

Devolution of abortion law to Holyrood offers opportunity to develop a distinct approach, campaigners say

by Libby Brooks, Scotland correspondent, The Guardian
Monday 12 December 2016

The Scottish government should scrap the legal requirement for two doctors to approve a termination, effectively decriminalising the procedure, and consider regulating abortion drugs for use by women in their own homes, according to a report by a coalition of women’s rights organisations.

With abortion law devolved to Holyrood as part of the Scotland Act 2016, the report argues that the SNP government must now “be bold in creating a distinctive approach” by removing it from criminal statute and regulating it like any other healthcare procedure.

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Source: The Guardian


Campaigners urge Scottish Government to use devolved powers to decriminalise abortion

December 11, 2016
Exclusive by Judith Duffy, Reporter. Sunday Herald

SCOTLAND is being urged to radically diverge from Westminster on abortion law and make it a health issue instead of criminal one.

A group of women’s rights organisations has come together to push for decriminalisation of abortion, in the wake of laws over it being devolved to Scotland in May this year.

A report, published tomorrow, will argue that the Scottish Government now has the opportunity to remove abortion from criminal law and regulate it like any other healthcare issue.

It argues the requirement for two doctors to approve an abortion, which is permitted for non-medical reasons up to 24 weeks under the current law, should be scrapped.

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Source: Sunday Herald