WOULD-BE first minister Humza Yousaf has pledged to “work tirelessly” to improve the rights of women and girls if he is elected to succeed Nicola Sturgeon.
The current Scottish Health Secretary promised action to improve abortion care in Scotland.
With some women having to travel to England for terminations later in pregnancy, Yousaf said he would work to make abortion available up to 24 weeks, and would also consider decriminalising the procedure in this current parliamentary term.
He also vowed to “unequivocally” back legislation due to come before Holyrood to set up buffer zones around abortion centres, and said he would take forward existing Scottish Government proposals to make misogyny an offence.
Outlining the policies in a women’s manifesto, Yousaf promised to fast-track free early learning and childcare for youngsters aged one and two – helping more women get back to work.
He added he would follow Sturgeon’s practice of having half of all cabinet posts filled by women if he becomes first minister, and would seek to ensure the rights of women and girls are at the heart of work the Scottish Government does in the fields of international development and climate justice.
Yousaf – who is standing against two female candidates to be the next leader of the SNP – said there had been “great strides” taken in promoting women’s rights “particularly over the last eight years” under Sturgeon, who was Scotland’s first female first minister.
He said: “From the world’s first gender-balanced cabinet to free period products, the world’s first women’s health plan and taking a feminist approach to foreign policy, the SNP has taken bold and progressive action.
“But none of us can take our rights for granted – we have to defend them, we have to fight for them and, crucially, we have to vote for them.
“We know that socially conservative political figures and movements are itching to attack women’s rights – and it’s up to us to stop them.
“In the United States, the Supreme Court’s judgment on Roe v Wade has opened the door to the right-wing removing women’s right to choose, and women in Poland are having to fight for their basic right to bodily autonomy.
READ MORE: SNP leader will face delicate balancing act to repair Yes movement
“These examples show that we can never take our eye off the ball. Any let-up in relentlessly and passionately defending and expanding women’s rights gives the opportunity for regressive actors to slip in the backdoor and begin dismantling them.”
He added: “That’s why I don’t just want to protect the rights women have fought so hard to secure – I want to advance them even further. As first minister, I’ll improve access to abortion care and will unequivocally support buffer zones to finally end intimidation of women who are simply seeking healthcare.
“I’ll bring forward the Criminal Justice Reform Bill which will improve support for women who have experienced sexual offences.
“And I’ll look to support more women in unlocking their economic potential – taking action to support women’s entrepreneurship and fast-tracking the delivery of free childcare for one and two-year-olds to help parents, particularly women, back into work.
“I want women across Scotland to know that if I am elected first minister, I will not allow one step back on your rights. I’ll fight with you against any attempts to undermine your right to choose – and will work tirelessly to ensure women and girls in Scotland live in a truly equal society.”
His comments were welcomed by Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison, who described Yousaf as being a “leader who places equality right at the heart of his work in government”.
She added: “Women need assurances that there will be no rowing back in support for women’s rights or in women’s representation at the highest levels of Scottish politics.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel