ABORTION rights are human rights, yet, around the world, they are under threat.

Newly empowered, reactionary and often very well-funded groups are springing up across the UK and beyond. They are trying to remove rights that have been hard fought and won by generations of determined campaigners.

In Scotland, over recent years, we have seen the emergence of protests outside abortion service providers. They are now all too common.

All over our country, patients are having to manoeuvre their way through a gauntlet of campaigners brandishing megaphones and often very graphic placards denouncing their choices.

With homemade signs using language like “abortion is murder” being all too common, these are clear attempts to shock, shame and deter people from accessing services.

I have always believed in reproductive rights. They are healthcare, and they are fundamental to my feminism. As soon as I saw protests taking place in Scottish communities I knew that our Parliament had to act.

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That is why, last year, I announced that I would be introducing a member’s bill to halt these protests for good.

By establishing 150-metre “buffer zones” around medical facilities that provide abortion services, we can ensure that nobody else is obstructed or harassed in this way.

I have been delighted to receive support from across all parties, including that of the Scottish Government, as well as the British Medical Association and the Royal College of GPs.

Whether it is the supportive statements in the Chamber and the media or the private conversations and advice, this is not just a piece of legislation, it is part of a movement.

I have also heard from thousands of people, including the 12,000 who took part in the consultation for the bill and those who have got in contact directly to share their experiences.

Some of the stories have been truly shocking. So many people have found themselves in very vulnerable positions and bearing the brunt of the protests. It is those stories and experiences that need to be at the heart of the debate.

Campaigners from Back Off Scotland compiled some of these testimonies for MSPs, and many of them are harrowing.

One read: “I attended the clinic alone and felt targeted by the protestors. My memories around walking into the clinic are blurred and I believe this is due to the fear felt from their presence, leaving me to feel non-present … When I left the clinic, I felt anxious and scared at the thought of facing protesters again but knew I had no option.”

It is hard to read stories like this without feeling a seething anger at the injustice of it.

Thankfully, the issue is being taken very seriously, even at the highest levels of government.

This week I was proud to join the First Minister as well as campaigners from Back Off Scotland, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and other advocacy groups in Edinburgh for a summit on abortion rights access.

One of the most positive aspects of the event was the representation from across the political spectrum. All of the main political parties were represented, with MSPs of all colours willing to work together to get it right.

It was a far-ranging and ultimately a very positive discussion about how buffer zones will work and how they will be enforced.

It was a chance to speak to clinicians, people who have been targeted by protests and those who have been on the frontline of trying to introduce buffer zones in other countries.

Among the speakers was former Green Party MLA, Clare Bailey, who introduced the bill that established buffer zones in Northern Ireland.

Her enthusiasm and conviction shone through as she stressed the importance of focusing on the big picture and why we are doing it.

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The Northern Irish decision was challenged in the courts, as I fully expect my bill to be, but last December, in a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the right to safe access.

This set a really vital precedent and clears the way for the introduction of a national solution rather than a local authority-led one which could see rights being protected in some parts of the country but not others.

At the moment, my team is analysing the thousands of responses that we received to our consultation, but the scale of the response means that it is taking time.

We hope to be in a position to publish our findings in the weeks ahead.

The scale of the response underlines the depth of feeling and the number of lives that have been touched by the issue.

Standing still is not an option when it comes to reproductive rights, especially not when anti-choice groups are mobilising to attack those same rights.

It is heartbreaking that buffer zones are even necessary. I can’t understand why anyone would want to cause that hurt and distress to anyone else.

The principle is very simple, and all the polls show it is shared by the vast majority of our country. Nobody else should have to suffer.

The question is not if it will happen, it is when it will happen. Their introduction will be a watershed moment for reproductive rights and will serve as one of the proudest days of devolution.

My team and I are working with the Scottish Government and MSPs from all parties to ensure that day comes as soon as possible.