Please respond to the Scottish Government Consultation on buffer zones.
Sending a response only takes 10 minutes.
The DEADLINE to respond is 10th August 2022 Gillian Mackay MSP has launched a Private Member’s Bill for Safe Access Zones, or buffer zones, outside abortion facilities across Scotland.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.
This is a really important step in the move for buffer zones. You can access the consultation here www.bufferzones.scot Y
A lot of pregnancies are unplanned. It’s common to feel stunned, scared, embarrassed or isolated when facing an unplanned pregnancy (writes LORNA FROST).
Deciding whether or not to continue with the pregnancy can be very straightforward and obvious for some people while others can find it a difficult and complicated decision. It’s important that the decision as to whether or not to continue with a pregnancy is made by the person it most affects.
Early medical abortion involves taking two sets of pills. Since April 2020, in light of COVID-19 and the importance of minimising risks of spreading the virus, abortion care providers in Scotland have been able to allow early medical abortions (taking both sets of pills) at home. This avoids travel to GPs and hospitals to access abortion services. It is a way of keeping abortion safe and accessible.
Now the Scottish government is seeking views on the future arrangements for early medical abortion at home. The responses will affect whether the current arrangements continue once there is no longer a risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Surveys have found that most people are pro-choice. They think that deciding whether or not to continue with a pregnancy is a personal decision that should not be interfered with. If you agree please take 10 minutes to respond to the Scottish government’s consultation on early medical abortion at home.
Please do this now – the deadline for responses is 5th January 2021.
Just click on the link for guidelines which suggest how to respond.
On Thursday 30th September, the Scottish Government launched a public consultation on whether the temporary measures allowing ‘DIY’ home abortions should be made permanent. Many medics and charities have criticised this move, including Right To Life UK, CARE Scotland and Christian Medical Fellowship, claiming it lacks the necessary safety checks and is putting women at significant risk.
This public consultation comes weeks after the Scottish Government revealed its intention to expand access to abortion across the nation, despite Scotland already having the second-highest abortion figures on record.
Women seeking a medical abortion take two types of tablet: mifepristone and misoprostol. Prior to the change in law, both sets of pills would only be prescribed following a face-to-face consultation. The first pill, mifepristone, would then be taken in the safety of a hospital or clinic, while the second set of pills could be taken at home.
The change in law, which was done without any parliamentary debate or scrutiny, means the pills can be obtained over the phone and then taken at home, where a woman will be left to abort her unborn child without any direct medical supervision.
Dr. Antony Latham, the chairman of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics and a General Practitioner says, “I know as a GP how important it is to see someone face-to-face when making such decisions. Phone calls, or video calls, are completely inadequate.
“We need to sit down and discuss the options in a relational and non-judgmental way that gives proper dignity to the person making the decision and allows space for reflection. There are so many dangers to ‘DIY’ abortions. One is that the woman may be under pressure to have an abortion in an abusive relationship or from relatives who will not support her. Such situations are only discussed and discerned properly with face to face meetings.
“Another danger is that she may not fully understand the trauma of having an abortion, potentially all alone, at home. This is a very unpleasant and painful thing to have to go through and needs to be fully discussed.
“Significant bleeding and sepsis are not uncommon. There have been at least two recorded deaths of women having such ‘DIY’ abortions in the UK so far. It is highly questionable whether one can have informed consent for such a procedure over the phone. Without any examination she may be getting the abortion pills for a pregnancy that is over 10 weeks gestation, which is the legal limit for such ‘DIY’ abortions.
“Another significant danger is that there is real scope for people abusing the system and obtaining the pills for someone else other than the person phoning up. “
The temporary provisions have already placed the physical health of thousands of women and girls at risk.
A leaked email sent by a Regional Chief Midwife at NHS England revealed that two women have died from taking medical abortion pills, one of whom died ‘very quickly’ with sepsis and a second found dead at home the morning after starting the abortion process.
The email also revealed a woman at 32 weeks of pregnancy was able to receive ‘at-home’ abortion pills. There are currently three police investigations linked to late ‘at-home’ abortions including a ‘murder investigation as there is concern that the baby was live born’.
Speaking about the Scottish Government’s consultation, Catherine Robinson from charity Right To Life UK said, “The consultation is extremely one-sided. The Scottish Government appears to have repeatedly ‘cherry-picked’ anything that supports making ‘DIY’ home abortions permanent and ignored evidence highlighting serious issues.
“There is no mention in the consultation background evidence that two women have died using these ‘DIY’ home abortion services and no mention of the police investigating the death of an unborn baby after its mother took ‘DIY’ home abortion pills while 28 weeks pregnant.
“This is clearly a rigged consultation which is seeking to make dangerous ‘DIY’ home abortion permanent in Scotland. We are calling on constituents in Scotland to make it clear to their MSPs that these dangerous ‘DIY’ home abortion schemes should be suspended immediately and not introduced on a permanent basis.”
