Sturgeon condemns anti-abortion protestors when quizzed on buffer-zone response

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has condemned the actions of abortion protestors outside Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after being questioned about her government’s efforts to create protest-free buffer zones.

During First Minister’s Questions, Sturgeon was asked by Labour’s Monica Lennon whether she regrets that “swift action” had not been taken to create buffer zones around hospitals.

“The anti-abortion lobby now sees Scotland as an easy target, with campaigners following the Texas playbook,” Lennon said.

“Last September I raised concerns with the First Minister and the urgent need for protest-free buffer zones at abortion services.

“Does she regret that swift action has not been taken and can she confirm when tele-medicine for early abortion will be made permanent as Scotland is now trailing behind England and Wales on this important healthcare matter?”

In response, Sturgeon said that both she and her government are “committed to ensuring that all women are able to access timely abortions without judgement”.

She said that a buffer-zones working group set up at the end of last year “has been meeting” and is “looking at ways to prevent any patients feeling harassed or intimidated”, but stressed that there are “complex legal issues” involved. She stressed, for now, that pro-life activists should take their protests to parliament rather than hospital gates.

“I condemn, and I will do so in the strongest possible terms, any attempts to intimidate women as they choose to access abortion services,” she said.

“People, of course, have a right to protest against abortion, but they should do that outside parliament, where the laws are made, they should not do that outside a hospital, where women are undergoing abortions.”

Sturgeon noted that earlier in the day public health minister Maree Todd, who chairs the buffer zones working group, had told parliament she is looking into ways of accelerating that group’s work.

Around 100 anti-abortion activists protested outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’s maternity unit last week, leading 76 consultants to write to Todd asking her to "show courage" by introducing protest-free zones outside all clinics.

A number of countries, including Spain and Northern Ireland, already use buffer zones, which prevent activists from coming within a certain distance of a hospital or clinic’s entrance.