Protecting women’s rights and bodily autonomy
Too often women’s health issues are either dismissed or downplayed.
We want to create an environment where women are believed when they say something is wrong.
Access to specialist treatments for women and those assigned female at birth is too often patchy, with long waiting times for gynaecology, inconsistent outcomes for cervical cancer, and increased risks for cardiovascular disease in women going missed. We need to invest in specialist services and programmes, so all women can access treatment when they need it.
High quality, accessible health care during and after pregnancy is central to achieving good outcomes for mothers and babies, and it starts with investing in the workforce. We want to see more people training as midwives, guarantee them safe working conditions, and ensure there are enough community midwives and health visitors to help new families in their homes in the first weeks and months of a child’s life.
No one should be penalised in their workplace for experiencing menopause symptoms. Yet this is still a daily occurrence for many women. We think that menopause should be added as a protected characteristic to the Equality Act 2010. Without the power to do this, however, we will work hard to improve menopause education and require all public sector employers to treat people experiencing menopause fairly.
The Scottish Greens believe access to abortion is a fundamental right. Abortion care is healthcare and should be treated like any other health procedure. That is why we want to end the antiquated “two doctor rule” and ensure that people do not have to give a reason for why they are seeking abortion care. Nobody should have to justify why they are seeking abortion care, and we believe this will help to remove the stigma around abortion.
- Bring down gynecological waiting lists by investing in services and producing a fully costed workforce plan for gynecology.
- Eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 by promoting uptake of the HPV vaccine and cervical screening, particularly in deprived areas and prisons.
- Fund research into women’s health inequalities, including inequalities in maternal health outcomes for minority ethnic pregnant people.
- Expand the midwife workforce by creating ‘earn-as-you-learn’ routes into midwifery and introduce minimum safe staffing levels on all maternity and labour wards.
- Support Community Midwife Services, including guaranteeing minimum 30 minute appointments with new and expectant parents.
- Invest in the Health Visitor programme, ensuring there is sufficient workforce so that all parents receive their regular check-ups on time.
- Commit to reviewing the safety of maternity services in Scotland, including an urgent review of safe staffing levels and practices on maternity wards.
- Introduce mandatory menopause education for public sector employers, and require that menopause symptoms qualify for leave from work.
- Ensure menopause treatment and support is well-funded and access to medicines such as HRT is secured.
- Develop enhanced support pathways for women with cardiovascular risk factors such as PCOS and pre-eclampsia, including through third-sector support.
- Decriminalise abortion and remove the ‘two doctor rule’ by bringing forward legislation that ensures there are no offences for anyone ending their own pregnancy.
- Expand abortion services in Scotland so patients are not required to travel to England, and retain the 12-week limit on telemedical abortion care, reducing the need for women to have to travel long distances in Scotland.
