Greens call for abortion to be decriminalised in Scotland as soon as possible
On Safe Abortion Day (Monday), the Scottish Greens are urging the Scottish Government to bring forward plans to decriminalise abortion as soon as possible.
In the SNP’s Holyrood 2026 manifesto, the party committed to bringing “forward a consultation on the recommendations of the Abortion Law review chaired by Prof Anna Glasier, including on decriminalisation within the specified term limits.”
The expert group published its recommendations in November last year, and it is beyond time that the Scottish Government acted on it by modernising abortion law in Scotland, the party has said.
Scottish Green health spokesperson Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill said:
“The Scottish Government should get on with bringing forward this consultation on modernising abortion law.
“We need to make sure that abortion is decriminalised as soon as possible, access to abortion is a fundamental right and it should be treated like any other healthcare procedure.
“The antiquated ‘two doctor rule’ has to end to ensure that people do not have to give a reason for why they are seeking abortion care. It is something that no one should have to justify, and scrapping it will help to remove the stigma around abortion.
“Scotland is already lagging behind the rest of the UK when it comes to abortion rights and it sends the wrong message to those who will need to access this vital healthcare if it continues to delay bringing these reforms forward.”
Kayleigh added:
“In modern Scotland, there should be no criminal offences for anyone ending their own pregnancy. It is outrageous that they still exist.
“It is beyond time that the Scottish Government got to grips with this, and the Scottish Greens will continue to push ministers to make urgent progress on this vital issue.”