Scotland – Woman arrested at anti-abortion protest faces no further action

Aug 14, 2025
Katy Scott, BBC Scotland News

A woman who was arrested for taking part in an anti-abortion protest outside a hospital in Glasgow will face no further action.

Rose Docherty, 75, was the first person to be charged under a new law that created buffer zones outside Scottish abortion clinics.

She had been taking part in a demonstration close to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in February.

Continued; https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ry0e8k77ko


Scotland – Arrested anti-abortion protester ‘willing to go to jail’

May 15, 2025

A woman who was arrested for taking part in an anti-abortion protest outside of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow has said she is prepared to go to prison over the offence.

Rose Docherty, 74, became the first person to be arrested and charged under a new law which creates buffer zones outside Scottish abortion clinics in February.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c36507lw234o


Anger at speed of progress on buffer zones at abortion clinics

Sept 27, 2023
By Craig Williams, BBC Scotland

Pro-choice activists are calling on MSPs to speed up the creation of buffer zones around Scotland's abortion clinics.

The Scottish government is backing a bill which would ban anti-abortion groups from gathering outside clinics.

But campaigners for buffer zones say Scotland is being left behind the rest of the UK.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-66889551


Scotland – SNP leadership candidates urged to commit to abortion clinic buffer zones

Concerns that Scotland lagging behind rest of UK as anti-abortion protests continue outside clinics

Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent
Mon 13 Mar 2023

Pro-choice campaigners are urging all Scottish National party leadership candidates to commit to accelerating the imposition of protest-free buffer zones around abortion clinics, as healthcare professionals describe the “remorseless” impact of anti-choice activity on their working lives.

Amid growing concern that Scotland is trailing behind the rest of the UK, after safe access zones passed their final parliamentary hurdle in the Commons last week, there was a protest and counter-protest outside the Sandyford clinic in Glasgow at the weekend. The clinic offers a range of services including abortion, support for sexual assault victims and transgender healthcare.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/13/snp-leadership-candidates-urged-to-commit-to-abortion-clinic-buffer-zones


Scotland fights to end abortion ‘harassment’

Online News Editor
May 28, 2022

Edinburgh, UK, May 28 (EFE).- Protesters took to the streets of Edinburgh on Saturday to demand a stop to rallies in front of abortion clinics, considered a form of harassment and intimidation.

“They want to control women,” a protester and lecturer at Edinburgh University, Betinna Nissen, told Efe.

Scotland is considering introducing a new law that prohibits anti-abortion protests in front of clinics which could make an already difficult choice an every harder one for women getting an abortion.

Continued: https://www.laprensalatina.com/scotland-fights-to-end-abortion-harassment/


Anti-abortion protests in Scotland following ‘Texas playbook’ as national plan on buffer zones needed

As anti-abortion protests swell outside my city’s flagship hospital, I and many others fear Scotland is turning into a hostile place for women accessing healthcare.

By Hannah
Brown
Saturday, 16th April 2022

Across the pond, prosecutors dropped murder charges last week against a
26-year-old southern Texas woman over an alleged “self-induced abortion".

After time in prison, Texas lawyers found she had not committed a crime. This
woman’s case is an example of the lengths the red states are willing to go to
restrict abortion access.

Continued: https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/anti-abortion-protests-in-scotland-following-texas-playbook-as-national-plan-on-buffer-zones-needed-3656433