Pro-abortionists push for buffer zones across Scotland despite record abortion rate

Pro-abortion activists are using the record abortion rate in Scotland to push for nationwide ‘buffer zones’ around abortion clinics. 

Campaign group Back Off Scotland called for a national ban which could prevent people from praying, handing out pro-life literature or speaking to people about abortion around such centres.

Public Health Scotland recently revealed that last year 13.4 per thousand women aged 15 to 44 aborted their unborn children, up from 13.2 in 2019 – the country’s highest rate since records began in 1968.

Pressure

There were 13,815 abortions in Scotland in 2020, only slightly lower than 2008’s record high of 13,908.

But Back Off Scotland’s founder Lucy Grieve claimed the new figures showed a national ban was “essential” to prevent a pro-life presence outside abortion clinics.

Abortion giant British Pregnancy Advisory Service and the Humanist Society Scotland backed its proposal.

But a Scottish Government spokesperson stated that local authorities can impose measures “suited to local circumstances – and that may include measures to restrict protests or other gatherings where that’s appropriate”.

Edinburgh

In March, the City of Edinburgh Council backed a move to block offers of help for women contemplating abortion and prevent prayer near abortion centres – just two years after rejecting the previous attempt.

Following a small petition by Back Off Scotland, Edinburgh Council announced its intention to introduce a buffer zone around the entrance to an abortion referral centre in the city and has petitioned the Scottish Government to introduce legislation.