Cartoon showing a group of people shouting with signs reading "decriminalise abortion," "safe access," and "abortion is healthcare."

Humanist Society backs petition for abortion care up to legal limit across Scotland

February 10, 2025

We’ve backed a petition by campaigner Gemma Clark calling out inadequate provision of surgical abortions up to 24 weeks.

Humanist Society Scotland has written to the Scottish parliament to back a petition calling for abortion service provision up to the legal limit of 24 weeks across Scotland. The petition, lodged by campaigner Gemma Clark, points out the alarming lack of doctors in Scotland trained to provide surgical abortions. It also notes that the number of women travelling to England to receive abortion care is rising year on year.

Lack of access

Humanism is based on principles of bodily autonomy. We believe women and pregnant people should be able to make decisions about their own bodies, supported in doing by a properly equipped healthcare service, and free from stigma. Surgical procedures are often used by people accessing abortion care in the mid-trimester (12-20 weeks) and after 20 weeks. As such, the provision of surgical abortion is particularly important to ensuring equitable reproductive healthcare in Scotland.

Access to safe and timely abortion must not be impaired due to poor institutional provision or negative perceptions of post-20-weeks termination.

However, the provision of surgical abortion care in Scotland is extremely low. Media reports suggests only one doctor in Scotland is trained to provide surgical abortions. This undermines patient autonomy, dignity, and choice, and is out-of-step with patient-centred care. The lack of access has a particularly stigmatising impact on people seeking abortion after 20 weeks’ gestation. In 2022, 14% of abortions performed in England and Wales were surgical, compared with only 1.2% in Scotland. This is because access remains so limited in Scotland.

Systemic stigma

There is strong evidence that lack of provision partly stems from systemic stigma around later-stage abortions. In a recent study examining abortion providers’ views on the current barriers to access, interviewees spoke about a “historic culture of stigma.” They added that this culture “still exists even within the staff group who provide the care”. Respondents also spoke of a “lack of compassion from people in power” with reference to senior health officials.

In our submission, we urged the petitions committee to examine the role that systemic abortion stigma has played in the lack of post-20-week provision in Scotland. We also supported calls from BPAS and Back Off Scotland for the committee to urgently bring forward a parliamentary debate on this matter. Access to safe and timely abortion must not be impaired due to poor institutional provision or negative perceptions of post-20-weeks termination.

Read our submission to Scottish Parliament backing Gemma Clark’s petition

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