SCOTLAND – Sheriff deserts first abortion buffer zone prosecution after finding Crown failed to specify all elements of offence

11 May 2026

A Glasgow sheriff has deserted proceedings pro loco et tempore in the first prosecution raised in Scotland for a contravention of abortion buffer zone legislation after finding that the complaint failed to libel two necessary elements of the offence and in consequence constituted an unlawful interference with the accused’s rights under Article 10 ECHR.

Rose Docherty, aged 75, was charged under section 4 of the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024 for allegedly displaying placards within a safe zone for the purpose of influencing the decision of persons to access, provide, and facilitate the provision of abortion services at the protected premises. Objection was taken by the accused to the relevancy of the charges in addition to a compatibility challenge per article 10 ECHR.

Continued; https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/sheriff-deserts-first-abortion-buffer-zone-prosecution-after-finding-crown-failed-to-specify-all-elements-of-offence

11.05.2026

Commentary

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act

anti-choice protesters

It’s official: No woman in England or Wales can be prosecuted for an abortion any more

Decriminalisation explained (and no, this does *not* mean 'abortion is now legal up until birth')

By Jennifer Savin
29 April 2026

After years of campaigning, England and Wales have officially decriminalised abortion for women in a “landmark moment” as part of proposed changes to the Crime and Policing Bill.

The government has now formally done away with the ancient Offences Against the Person Act from 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act of 1929, both of which saw women and girls open to arrest, investigation or prosecution in relation to procuring an abortion for themselves. Recent years have seen a worrying increase in criminal cases, after minimal incidences for decades, as more anti-abortion groups receive funding in the UK.

Continued: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a71163004/england-wales-decriminalise-abortion/

Scotland – Woman charged over anti-abortion protest has case dropped

Apr 28, 2026
BBC

A woman who was arrested and charged for taking part in an anti-abortion protest outside a hospital in Glasgow has had her case dismissed.

Rose Docherty, 75, became the first person charged under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act after holding up a placard outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in May, and again in September.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czj2ygzldgdo

28.04.2026

News

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act

anti-choice harassment

anti-choice protesters

buffer zone laws

Dr Greg Irwin

Queen Elizabeth University hospital

Nine in 10 UK voters across parties support right to abortion, poll finds

YouGov survey shows cross-party consensus – but that many fear abortion access could be reduced

Hannah Al-Othman
Thu 23 Apr 2026

New polling has found that whatever their party political leanings, an overwhelming majority of people support the right to access an abortion – although young people, in particular, fear reproductive rights may be reduced.

The YouGov polling, commissioned by MSI Reproductive Choices to mark its 50th anniversary, found nine in 10 people support the right to access an abortion.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/23/uk-voters-abortion-rights-women-health-poll

23.04.2026

MSI Reproductive Choices

public support for abortion

Sophie Verstraeten

Europe

United Kingdom

UK – New exhibition challenges how we think about miscarriage – and the stories we don’t hear

22 April 2026

A powerful new exhibition is set to open in London this spring, inviting the public to rethink one of life’s most intimate and misunderstood experiences: miscarriage.

Pregnancy Endings, part of the Feminist Miscarriage Project, brings together striking portrait photography and deeply personal stories to reveal the full spectrum of experiences surrounding miscarriage, abortion and other pregnancy endings.

Continued: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/news-events/news/2026/april/pregnancy-endings/

22.04.2026

Film, Art, Books

Dr Victoria Browne

Feminist Miscarriage Project

UK – Why are doctors in abortion clinics showing women scans without their consent?

As Apple TV’s new show, ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’, depicts a woman being shown a foetal scan without her consent, Olivia Petter examines why medics are doing this and why it can be so damaging for those seeking abortions

Wednesday 22 April 2026

Whether a woman should or should not have an abortion is a choice that people make and others like to have opinions about. We know this – and have done for some time. Hence, terminations are still illegal in many parts of the world, including Malta, El Salvador, and Egypt, and highly restricted in even more – the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022 has enabled 26 US states to have either hostile or illegal policies against it.

Sometimes, the people who are trying to influence your decision are a little closer to us. It might be your partner, a family member, or a friend. One person it really shouldn’t be, though, is your doctor. And yet, far too often this seemingly obvious fact is being ignored.

Continued: https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/abortion-consent-margo-got-money-troubles-b2962005.html

22.04.2026

Commentary

Film, Art, Books

College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

Dr Nadia Ahmad

Dr Tracey Masters

Grace Campbell

Margo's Got Money Troubles

Olivia Petter

Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists

UK – MP behind abortion bill: My own experience inspires campaign

Tonia Antoniazzi, who has tabled an amendment to decriminalise abortions, said she kept a termination secret as she feared losing her job

Carlos Jasso for The Times, Sanchez Manning, Social Affairs Correspondent
Monday April 20 2026

Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi was a student when she had a first abortion and a language teacher at a school when she had her second. In her own words, what she went through was “terrible”.

She felt unable to seek help from her parents and, on her second termination, had to keep the procedure secret from her school employer in case she lost her job. She could only turn to her two brothers for support.

Continued: https://archive.is/yahCj
(https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/mp-abortion-bill-tonia-antoniazzi-crp7hb3kn)

UK – Labour plans will encourage ‘lunch-hour’ abortions, critics claim

Campaigners argue Streeting’s strategy to incentivise clinics for ‘same day’ treatments will leave women with less time to reconsider

Gabriella Swerling
17 April 2026

Labour would encourage “lunch-hour” abortions under new plans, critics have claimed. A change to the payment structure for abortion clinics would provide a “financial incentive” to rush women through treatment, claimed anti-abortion campaigners.

The new payment process was launched as part of Wes Streeting’s renewed women’s health strategy for England, in which he promised to tackle medical misogyny and improve women’s care.

Continued: https://archive.is/zXYiH
(https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/04/17/labour-plans-lunch-hour-abortions-critics/)

17.04.2026

News

Andrea Williams

British Pregnancy Advisory Service

UK – MPs and peers approve law to pardon women convicted over abortions as far back as 1800s

Law will also expunge police records for women arrested in England and Wales, and stop future prosecutions

Hannah Al-Othman
Fri 17 Apr 2026

Legislation to pardon women who have been convicted of illegal abortions has passed its final parliamentary hurdle, paving the way for a landmark change in the law in England and Wales.

The amendment to the crime and policing bill, which will also expunge the police records of those arrested and investigated over illegal abortions, was considered in the House of Lords during a phase of parliamentary ping-pong, where a bill passes back and forth between the Lords and Commons.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/17/law-pardon-women-convicted-abortions-passes-uk-parliament

17.04.2026

News

1861 Offences against the Person Act

abortion law reform

Crime and Policing bill

Scotland – Leading anti-abortion figure standing for Reform UK in May elections

April 13, 2026
By Steph Brawn

A WARNING that reproductive rights "are not safe" with Reform UK has been issued after it emerged a leading anti-abortion figure is standing for the party in England's local elections. Lois McLatchie Miller is standing for Nigel Farage's party in the affluent London area of Maida Vale next month.

McLatchie Miller has worked for years for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) – a Christian group known for its work overturning abortion rights in the US as well as opposing LGBT+ rights – and has made regular appearances on GB News and Talk TV.

Continued: https://archive.is/Eo0Mq
(https://www.thenational.scot/news/26017330.leading-anti-abortion-figure-standing-reform-uk-may-elections/)

13.04.2026