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.
It reveals variations in restrictions on women accessing reproductive healthcare around the globe, from Finland where approval is required from the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health for abortions beyond 12 weeks, to France where the cost of abortion is only covered for women on low incomes.
In Scotland those seeking a termination between 18 weeks and the legal maximum of 24 weeks must cross to England for the procedure.
According to figures published in June, 180 people did so in 2016, when a total of 12,063 pregnancies were registered in Scotland.
Emma Ritch, executive director of Engender, said: “On the International Day for Safe Abortion, we are highlighting the obstacles facing women around the world fighting for control over their own bodies.
“This includes nations within the United Kingdom itself, and our European neighbours. A look around the globe tells us that we are making slow progress towards realising women’s right to safe abortion healthcare.
“Some countries are lagging far behind, and some are moving in the wrong direction. Others, like Canada, are blazing a trail for Scotland to follow by completely decriminalising abortion.”
Parts of Australia have also adopted the approach taken by Canada to abortion, where the act is still regulated.
On Saturday the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said the procedure should be treated as a medical issue in the UK, where laws set in Scotland, England and Wales mean having a termination without the approval of two doctors could lead to a prison term.
Professor Lesley Regan, RCOG president, called it a “key healthcare service”, saying: “Abortion services should be subject to regulatory and professional standards, in line with other medical procedures.”
The report comes despite serious opposition from faith groups and other opponents of abortion.
It also comes as the Scottish Government has said it is working to improve services for women seeking to end a pregnancy.
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