HUMAN rights laws are slowing down the Scottish Government’s ability to ban protests outside of abortion clinics, Nicola Sturgeon has claimed.
The First Minister was responding to repeated calls from campaign groups to install 150m (500ft) buffer zones outside of clinics to keep anti-abortion campaigners away from women seeking to use health services.
The Scottish Government has set up a working group on buffer zones, although there have been calls for it to move faster.
READ MORE: Scottish council elections: The key areas to watch as Scotland votes
On Tuesday, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said ministers had “stalled and dissembled” on buffer zones.
There have been renewed calls for buffer zones in Scotland after it emerged the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling legalising abortion across the US may be overturned.
And in March, the Daily Record revealed that the organiser of one of the pro-life groups targetting clinics in Scotland was recruited by an American-based religious group.
On the last day of the election campaign, the FM was said that any law would have to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Sturgeon has previously said that the right to protest is a key consideration when it comes to introducing the buffers to stop women being harassed.
She said: “On all legislation we have to ensure that legislation is ECHR compliant and when you are, as some people would say, interfering in the right to protest there’s just a complex legal issue that we have to work our way through,”
The Scottish Government’s working group’s most recent minutes detail that members “reflected that understanding the issues and perspective from all sides may still be useful”.
READ MORE: Dogs at polling stations: The cutest photos as Scotland votes
Sturgeon added: “I think people know my views on abortion and people know my views on the right of women to control their own bodies and the right to choose.”
The FM’s coments came after the architect of the UK’s abortion laws intervened on the issue.
Lord David Steel said “busybodies have no right to pressurise women” who are seeking to end a pregnancy.
During his time as an MP, Steel introduced the Private Member’s Bill which made abortion legal in the UK.
The former Liberal Party leader, who went on to become the first presiding officer at the Scottish Parliament, stressed those who “oppose abortion in principle should have their views respected”.
READ MORE: Homes For Ukraine: West Lothian and Angus host families condemn 'difficult' Home Office
He was also clear that “nobody should be pressured into undertaking abortion if they are opposed to it”.
Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay is proposing to introduce a Member’s Bill at Holyrood to legislate for buffer zones around abortion clinics, although the move has so far not been backed by the Scottish Government.
Steel’s comments came after reports based on leaked documents suggested the US Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that legalised abortion across the country – sparking fears that as many as half of all US states could then introduce bans on terminations.
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 here