Campaigners leading calls for the introduction of buffer zones around abortion clinics have slammed the Scottish Government's decision to scrap its working group on the issue.
Read more: Tributes paid to 'legendary' Celtic fan who drove from Glasgow to Lisbon for 1967 cup finalCommenting on the decision, Back Off Scotland accused decision-makers of 'sitting on their hands'. "The delay in this legislation has nothing to do with carefully crafting a Bill – there is no drafted Bill, and even if there was there is a clear precedent set by bills passed in other legislatures – it is solely due to a lack of leadership on the issue by decision-makers who have had the power to make real change on this since 2020 but have sat on their hands."
“A significant proportion of the group’s work was considering the use of Local Authority bye-laws to potentially deliver the zones. That work has concluded, and we are now fully focused on supporting the drafting and development of Gillian Mackay MSP’s national Abortion Service Safe Access Zones Bill. We will continue to take forward discussions with stakeholders to ensure that robust and effective legislation is introduced as soon as possible.