Abortion clinics – no-protest buffer zones

The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament in 2023.

The Parliament's Health, Social Care and Sport Committee issued a call for evidence and the Church of Scotland's Public Life and Social Justice Programme Group responded. You can read a copy of our response here.

The Church of Scotland has not taken a position for or against the Bill. Instead, our response sets out some of the views of the Church in relation to abortion and to the ethics of campaigning.

There is likely to be a broad diversity of opinion within the membership of the Church of Scotland, both on the question of abortion choices in general, as well as on the specifics of this Bill.

Our response sets out some of the key ethical and moral questions that the Bill has presented and encourages MSPs and wider society to think about how their own views might be expressed constructively and respectfully, and in a way which maintains the rights and freedoms of others.