Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024
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| Act of the Scottish Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act of the Scottish Parliament to create safe access zones around premises that provide treatment for the termination of pregnancy authorised under the Abortion Act 1967. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2024 asp 10 |
| Introduced by | Gillian Mackay |
| Territorial extent | Scotland |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 22 July 2024 |
Status: Partly in force | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act (Scotland) 2024 (asp 10) creates safe access zones around abortion clinics in Scotland with a radius of 200 metres.
The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill was introduced by Gillian Mackay, Scottish Greens MSP for Central Scotland on 5 October 2023. It received royal assent on 22 July 2024 and became an act of the Scottish Parliament.
On 14 April 2022, there was a protest of 100 people outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital held by the anti-abortion group 40 Days for Life.[1]
The Northern Ireland Assembly passed similar legislation in 2023: the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act (Northern Ireland) 2023. The UK Parliament included a section which created safe zones for abortion clinics in the Public Order Act 2023.
The Royal College of Nursing Scotland released a statement in support of the bill in December 2023.[2]
On 25 March 2024, there was a large protest outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.[3]
In April, experts questioned why the law created 200-metre safe access zones rather than 150-metre safe access zones, but Gillian Mackay said she was resisting a change and intended to keep the 200-metre restrictions.[4]
On 22 July 2024, the legislation gained royal assent.[5]
On 14 February 2025, American vice president JD Vance referred to the legislation indirectly during his speech at the Munich Security Conference.[6] Vance included such governmental activity among supposed examples of an internal threat to European democracy.[7] The Scottish government said Vance's comments were incorrect; Mackay said Vance was dispensing "total nonsense and dangerous scaremongering".[6]
On 19 February 2025, a 74 year old woman became the first person arrested under the legislation for holding a sign stating “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.”[8] She refused to accept a ‘formal warning’ from the Crown Office and later, in August, the Crown Office decide to take no further action.[9]