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Back Off Scotland

A NOTE FROM BACK OFF SCOTLAND, SEPTEMBER 2024:
After four years of campaigning, the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill was passed in the Scottish Parliament in June 2024 and the zones were implemented in September 2024.

We want to thank everyone so much for the support over the course of the campaign. We started as a tiny grassroots student movement in 2020, hoping to make Edinburgh's Chalmers Clinic a safer environment, and now we've managed to do that at every medical facility providing abortion care in Scotland.

None of this would be possible without the hundreds of patients and staff who came forward to share testimonies of the harassment and intimidation they faced at the gates of clinics and hospitals. We want to sincerely thank each and every one of you.

Whilst our work continues, we will be leaving this website up unchanged to remember the work the went on to achieve this change in the law and as a reflection of some of the testimonies that led to it.

Back Off Scotland continues to be completely volunteer-led, and the fight for improved access to abortion services in Scotland continues.

Let's end abortion clinic harassment.

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🚨 BREAKING: SCOTTISH PATIENT TRAVELS TO ENGLAND FOR AN ABORTION EVERY FOUR DAYS.

A report by STV reveals that the number of patients traveling to England for an abortion is rising. Not only that, but it can be a dangerous journey, and a doctor in England believes that women in Scotland are following through with unwanted pregnancies because of the barriers posed by the lack of provisions here.

SWPIRE THROUGH to read our thoughts and watch an interview with STV and an English doctor.

The UK limit for an abortion is 24 weeks, but currently no health board in Scotland provides abortion services beyond 20 weeks. As a result, patients are made to travel over the border to England.

From the STV report:
A freedom of information request obtained by STV News reveals that NHS Scotland has admitted internally that there is “an explicit inequality in service provision” for the women affected.
While BPAS works to ensure women who come to their clinics are safe before, during and after their treatment, Dr Dorman recalls a recent case where a Scottish woman travelled across the UK while at risk of a life-threatening infection.
The woman had started what was a wanted pregnancy but suffered a rupture to the protective membrane around the fetus, putting her at risk of sepsis.
“By that point, she was over 22 weeks, and there was nobody who was able to provide care for her in Scotland, or nobody willing to provide care for her in Scotland,” said Dr Dorman. “She ended up being at quite high risk of developing an infection during this process, but she came down to London.”

The Scottish Government is failing women and abortion patients across Scotland. What makes this worse is their repeated assertion that Scotland ‘leads the way’ on abortion provisions. This is categorically false. In order to make up for their failures, they’re reliant the rest of the UK.

🚨 BREAKING: SCOTTISH PATIENT TRAVELS TO ENGLAND FOR AN ABORTION EVERY FOUR DAYS.

A report by STV reveals that the number of patients traveling to England for an abortion is rising. Not only that, but it can be a dangerous journey, and a doctor in England believes that women in Scotland are following through with unwanted pregnancies because of the barriers posed by the lack of provisions here.

SWPIRE THROUGH to read our thoughts and watch an interview with STV and an English doctor.

The UK limit for an abortion is 24 weeks, but currently no health board in Scotland provides abortion services beyond 20 weeks. As a result, patients are made to travel over the border to England.

From the STV report:
A freedom of information request obtained by STV News reveals that NHS Scotland has admitted internally that there is “an explicit inequality in service provision” for the women affected.
While BPAS works to ensure women who come to their clinics are safe before, during and after their treatment, Dr Dorman recalls a recent case where a Scottish woman travelled across the UK while at risk of a life-threatening infection.
The woman had started what was a wanted pregnancy but suffered a rupture to the protective membrane around the fetus, putting her at risk of sepsis.
“By that point, she was over 22 weeks, and there was nobody who was able to provide care for her in Scotland, or nobody willing to provide care for her in Scotland,” said Dr Dorman. “She ended up being at quite high risk of developing an infection during this process, but she came down to London.”

The Scottish Government is failing women and abortion patients across Scotland. What makes this worse is their repeated assertion that Scotland ‘leads the way’ on abortion provisions. This is categorically false. In order to make up for their failures, they’re reliant the rest of the UK.

SWIPE ➡️ to read more.

This morning, the front page of the Telegraph features a story about buffer zones... And the ongoing trade talks between the UK and the US.

It seems, according to an unnamed source, that the Trump administration has a problem with the UK's handling of "freedom of speech", based on the arrest of an anti-abortion protestor who breached a buffer zone in Bournemouth, England.

It now appears that a free trade agreement hinges on buffer zone law.

This is unprecedented, and deeply worrying. While we're confident that the governments across the UK aren't looking to move on buffer zones any time soon, the fact that the leader of the Tories and the opposition in Westminster, Kemi Badenoch, is on the side of the US is also very worrying.

Buffer zones are not an infringement on freedom of speech. Anyone is well within their right to protest abortion wherever they like outside of the zones - which exist to protect patients and staff. Protests and "vigils" should be held in appropriate places, where they're not getting in the way of already potentially vulnerable people.

SWIPE ➡️ to read more.

This morning, the front page of the Telegraph features a story about buffer zones... And the ongoing trade talks between the UK and the US.

It seems, according to an unnamed source, that the Trump administration has a problem with the UK's handling of "freedom of speech", based on the arrest of an anti-abortion protestor who breached a buffer zone in Bournemouth, England.

It now appears that a free trade agreement hinges on buffer zone law.

This is unprecedented, and deeply worrying. While we're confident that the governments across the UK aren't looking to move on buffer zones any time soon, the fact that the leader of the Tories and the opposition in Westminster, Kemi Badenoch, is on the side of the US is also very worrying.

Buffer zones are not an infringement on freedom of speech. Anyone is well within their right to protest abortion wherever they like outside of the zones - which exist to protect patients and staff. Protests and "vigils" should be held in appropriate places, where they're not getting in the way of already potentially vulnerable people.

If Scotland has buffer zones, why are protests still happening? ➡️

We want to know!

Last week, the SFP staged a big protest INSIDE a buffer zone in Aberdeen. They made a point that if they'd been there during the day, they'd have been arrested - but that should be the case at night too.

Buffer zones are 24/7 - we worked hard to make that the case. It doesn't matter if the centre is closed or it's quieter at night. The buffer zone still exists!

We're disappointed that no action was taken, and we'll be keeping a close eye on any other buffer zone infringements.

We're aware of another planned breach this weekend in Edinburgh. Firstly, and most importantly: if you have an appointment and you encounter protests, don't panic or let it put you off. If you feel comfortable, please report it. Stay safe.

Secondly, we will be following up with Police Scotland and Gillian Mackay MSP about this to see what can be done and to ensure buffer zones are adhered to. We'll report back as soon as we can!

If Scotland has buffer zones, why are protests still happening? ➡️

We want to know!

Last week, the SFP staged a big protest INSIDE a buffer zone in Aberdeen. They made a point that if they'd been there during the day, they'd have been arrested - but that should be the case at night too.

Buffer zones are 24/7 - we worked hard to make that the case. It doesn't matter if the centre is closed or it's quieter at night. The buffer zone still exists!

We're disappointed that no action was taken, and we'll be keeping a close eye on any other buffer zone infringements.

We're aware of another planned breach this weekend in Edinburgh. Firstly, and most importantly: if you have an appointment and you encounter protests, don't panic or let it put you off. If you feel comfortable, please report it. Stay safe.

Secondly, we will be following up with Police Scotland and Gillian Mackay MSP about this to see what can be done and to ensure buffer zones are adhered to. We'll report back as soon as we can!

We know it’s frustrating that protests are still happening despite buffer zone regulations.

HOWEVER, it’s important to highlight that the protests yesterday happened outside the QEUH buffer zone. This is what we wanted - they’re away from the hospital and within their right to protest. We fundamentally believe in this right, and our aim with buffer zones was to encourage those protests away from hospitals.

Clearly these protestors are still attempting to be as close as legally allowed to the hospital. QEUH was the reason the BZs were boosted from 150m to 200m - it’s a tricky area. Protests are ongoing outside the buffer zones in Edinburgh too, but 200m takes them very far away from clinic doors.

With enough evidence of harassment or intimidation put forward by patients or staff, there could be cause to extend buffer zones where needed. This would happen at the discretion of health boards.

Therefore, we’re asking you to please get in touch with us if you feel that protestors outside the buffer zones are still intimidating or harassing patients, or making accessing facilities difficult. If you’ve attended QEUH - as a patient or as staff - and feel this way, please send your evidence to us.

💌 You can contact us here, or at contact@backoffscotland.com.

We know it’s frustrating that protests are still happening despite buffer zone regulations.

HOWEVER, it’s important to highlight that the protests yesterday happened outside the QEUH buffer zone. This is what we wanted - they’re away from the hospital and within their right to protest. We fundamentally believe in this right, and our aim with buffer zones was to encourage those protests away from hospitals.

Clearly these protestors are still attempting to be as close as legally allowed to the hospital. QEUH was the reason the BZs were boosted from 150m to 200m - it’s a tricky area. Protests are ongoing outside the buffer zones in Edinburgh too, but 200m takes them very far away from clinic doors.

With enough evidence of harassment or intimidation put forward by patients or staff, there could be cause to extend buffer zones where needed. This would happen at the discretion of health boards.

Therefore, we’re asking you to please get in touch with us if you feel that protestors outside the buffer zones are still intimidating or harassing patients, or making accessing facilities difficult. If you’ve attended QEUH - as a patient or as staff - and feel this way, please send your evidence to us.

💌 You can contact us here, or at contact@backoffscotland.com.

(See pinned comment for a quick edit to this post.)

🚨 Protests have begun again at QEUH in Glasgow.

Every year, the start of Lent marks the start of a series of protests over the period staged by 40 Days for Life, an American-backed anti-abortion organisation.

We were so hopeful that this year’s period of Lent would be our first without protests, because Scotland now has buffer zones (!!) - but sadly we’ve been disappointed.

Protestors returned to QEUH with signs, as always. They are breaking the law.

This being said, however, we have one plea for you: PLEASE don’t stage a counter-protest.

Buffer zones only retain their integrity if they are inclusive of all activity outside entrances to hospitals (or anywhere within the BZ). Counter-protests are included in this.

We’ve long said this. Trust us - we appreciate how angry people are getting that these protests are still happening despite all the hard work that’s been done by people across the country for buffer zones. But a counter-protest can cause a scene, and regardless of whether you support the people accessing abortions or other healthcare, you’re drawing attention. It can make people - who sometimes are in already emotional states - uncomfortable.

Please direct your anger at your local reps - call on them to take a stand against both the influence of American anti-abortion orgs and the rising anti-abortion movement here in the UK. And call the police if people are breaking buffer zone laws!

We appreciate all the support we’ve seen online over the past few weeks. As you can imagine it’s been a bit mental for us - but we’re committed to maintaining stable, enforceable and useful buffer zones so that people can access abortions just like they access any other healthcare procedure. Ultimately, that’s why we’ve done this work. 🩷

(See pinned comment for a quick edit to this post.)

🚨 Protests have begun again at QEUH in Glasgow.

Every year, the start of Lent marks the start of a series of protests over the period staged by 40 Days for Life, an American-backed anti-abortion organisation.

We were so hopeful that this year’s period of Lent would be our first without protests, because Scotland now has buffer zones (!!) - but sadly we’ve been disappointed.

Protestors returned to QEUH with signs, as always. They are breaking the law.

This being said, however, we have one plea for you: PLEASE don’t stage a counter-protest.

Buffer zones only retain their integrity if they are inclusive of all activity outside entrances to hospitals (or anywhere within the BZ). Counter-protests are included in this.

We’ve long said this. Trust us - we appreciate how angry people are getting that these protests are still happening despite all the hard work that’s been done by people across the country for buffer zones. But a counter-protest can cause a scene, and regardless of whether you support the people accessing abortions or other healthcare, you’re drawing attention. It can make people - who sometimes are in already emotional states - uncomfortable.

Please direct your anger at your local reps - call on them to take a stand against both the influence of American anti-abortion orgs and the rising anti-abortion movement here in the UK. And call the police if people are breaking buffer zone laws!

We appreciate all the support we’ve seen online over the past few weeks. As you can imagine it’s been a bit mental for us - but we’re committed to maintaining stable, enforceable and useful buffer zones so that people can access abortions just like they access any other healthcare procedure. Ultimately, that’s why we’ve done this work. 🩷

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY SAID THAT TRUMP’S ROLLBACK ON REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IS HERE.

We did not anticipate our hard-won buffer zone law would be misrepresented in this way by the us vice president less than a month into the presidency.

They seek to interfere with democratically passed laws passed in other countries. We must resist their attempts.

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY SAID THAT TRUMP’S ROLLBACK ON REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IS HERE.

We did not anticipate our hard-won buffer zone law would be misrepresented in this way by the us vice president less than a month into the presidency.

They seek to interfere with democratically passed laws passed in other countries. We must resist their attempts.

It’s been almost two weeks since the inauguration now and already, reproductive rights in the US are under threat.

SWIPE ➡️ to see some of the things that’ve happened since last Monday.

The main thing is the reinstating of the global gag rule. This is typical of a changing administration - usually reminded by Republicans and reinstated by Democrats - but it’s emblematic of the way this administration could (and probably will) have international implications for abortion rights.

At Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearing, the new Secretary of Health and Human Services made a direct reference to mifepristone, one of two abortion medications, and questioned its ‘safety’. Democratic Senator for New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan, opposed RFK and came armed with roughly 40 studies that prove the safety of the drug.

It’s considered, by the National Institute of Health, to be safer than viagra.

He also made allusions to ending ‘late-term abortion’, which rings alarm bells. This is usually used as a starting point for more abortion restrictions - support for late-stage abortion bans is easier to find. Once it starts there, where does it stop?

It’s been almost two weeks since the inauguration now and already, reproductive rights in the US are under threat.

SWIPE ➡️ to see some of the things that’ve happened since last Monday.

The main thing is the reinstating of the global gag rule. This is typical of a changing administration - usually reminded by Republicans and reinstated by Democrats - but it’s emblematic of the way this administration could (and probably will) have international implications for abortion rights.

At Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearing, the new Secretary of Health and Human Services made a direct reference to mifepristone, one of two abortion medications, and questioned its ‘safety’. Democratic Senator for New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan, opposed RFK and came armed with roughly 40 studies that prove the safety of the drug.

It’s considered, by the National Institute of Health, to be safer than viagra.

He also made allusions to ending ‘late-term abortion’, which rings alarm bells. This is usually used as a starting point for more abortion restrictions - support for late-stage abortion bans is easier to find. Once it starts there, where does it stop?

Since Trump’s inauguration on Monday, accessing abortion content - specifically pro-abortion and pro-choice - has become increasingly difficult on Instagram. Even for us, all the way over here in Scotland.

[NOTE: the suggestion that Meta is suppressing content is based on our experience and the experiences of people who have messaged us.]

We’re finding it just as difficult to stand by and watch this happen. We know how vital some of the information online can be for people accessing abortions, especially when reproductive rights are at such risk across the country. On Monday, as soon as Trump was sworn in, the national support website reproductiverights.gov was shut down. (reproductiverights.org is still going and can provide many types of support!)

It’s obvious to anyone that the connections between Trump, Vance, Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos are dangerous. And ironic: despite the right’s obsession with the first amendment (free speech), we can’t talk about abortion online apparently!

Where does it go from here? How extreme can this suppression get? We hope our posts won’t fall victim because of our location but you never know. Until we’re forced away, we’ll be posting about abortion just like always!

There are so many organisations ready to help with abortion access in the US. It’s dire that it requires so much grassroots work to sustain a national abortion network, but there are passionate people doing the necessary hard work.

Since Trump’s inauguration on Monday, accessing abortion content - specifically pro-abortion and pro-choice - has become increasingly difficult on Instagram. Even for us, all the way over here in Scotland.

[NOTE: the suggestion that Meta is suppressing content is based on our experience and the experiences of people who have messaged us.]

We’re finding it just as difficult to stand by and watch this happen. We know how vital some of the information online can be for people accessing abortions, especially when reproductive rights are at such risk across the country. On Monday, as soon as Trump was sworn in, the national support website reproductiverights.gov was shut down. (reproductiverights.org is still going and can provide many types of support!)

It’s obvious to anyone that the connections between Trump, Vance, Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos are dangerous. And ironic: despite the right’s obsession with the first amendment (free speech), we can’t talk about abortion online apparently!

Where does it go from here? How extreme can this suppression get? We hope our posts won’t fall victim because of our location but you never know. Until we’re forced away, we’ll be posting about abortion just like always!

There are so many organisations ready to help with abortion access in the US. It’s dire that it requires so much grassroots work to sustain a national abortion network, but there are passionate people doing the necessary hard work.

Happy New Year!

It's been the biggest year for us since we started BOS back in 2020 - we finally achieved our goal and Scotland has buffer zones! 🥳

Thank you to everyone who has stuck around since then, or joined us over the years. We couldn't have made it here without the support and we're grateful beyond words.

We're super proud of the introduction of buffer zones this year, but we know Scotland has a looong way to go before we can be happy with abortion provisions here. We're committed to fighting for equal access to abortion services, so no one has to travel to England, and eventually for decriminalisation 💪

As you can probably tell, we've slowed things down a bit since the summer! We started this campaign as students and now we're all employed full-time. Things will be quieter around here than normal for a while as we gear up to campaign for services up to 24 weeks across the country.

We hope you have a restful new year and we'll see you in 2025. ❤️

Happy New Year!

It's been the biggest year for us since we started BOS back in 2020 - we finally achieved our goal and Scotland has buffer zones! 🥳

Thank you to everyone who has stuck around since then, or joined us over the years. We couldn't have made it here without the support and we're grateful beyond words.

We're super proud of the introduction of buffer zones this year, but we know Scotland has a looong way to go before we can be happy with abortion provisions here. We're committed to fighting for equal access to abortion services, so no one has to travel to England, and eventually for decriminalisation 💪

As you can probably tell, we've slowed things down a bit since the summer! We started this campaign as students and now we're all employed full-time. Things will be quieter around here than normal for a while as we gear up to campaign for services up to 24 weeks across the country.

We hope you have a restful new year and we'll see you in 2025. ❤️

TW: clips in this post include mention of sexual assault and graphic anti-abortion images.

This week, BBC One aired the documentary ‘Young, British and Anti-abortion’, made by filmmaker Poppy Jay. We participated in it as a balance for the often extreme views of the other young people being interviewed.

Firstly we want to say that we think it’s important to highlight not only the existence of these groups, but the shaky foundations their values stand on.

We also want to make it known that we do not condone the behaviour of counter protestors towards Madeline Page. We obviously fundamentally disagree with Page’s views on abortion, but no woman, especially when alone, should be made to feel unsafe.

Importantly, we disagree strongly with the campaigns featured in the film and their positions on abortion. The repeated use of ‘coercive abortion’ is a Trojan horse to disguise blatant and unrelenting opposition to abortion in ALL cases. Just watch how they crumble in the face of questions about extreme cases (rape, incest) or instance in which a person simply does not want to be pregnant. Their ideal world may be one without abortion, but we do not live in their ideal world.

Abortion is healthcare. It is life-saving, necessary, wanted. It’s vital that we acknowledge that not only can we provide safe abortions in cases where it’s medically necessary, but that we can support people who do not wish to have children by providing safe abortions to them, too.

We’ve included a clip of Lucy and Alice chatting to Poppy about our movement and Alice’s experience. We’ve also included clips of the people whose views oppose ours, to illustrate how unstable their justifications for wishing to ban abortion are.

TW: clips in this post include mention of sexual assault and graphic anti-abortion images.

This week, BBC One aired the documentary ‘Young, British and Anti-abortion’, made by filmmaker Poppy Jay. We participated in it as a balance for the often extreme views of the other young people being interviewed.

Firstly we want to say that we think it’s important to highlight not only the existence of these groups, but the shaky foundations their values stand on.

We also want to make it known that we do not condone the behaviour of counter protestors towards Madeline Page. We obviously fundamentally disagree with Page’s views on abortion, but no woman, especially when alone, should be made to feel unsafe.

Importantly, we disagree strongly with the campaigns featured in the film and their positions on abortion. The repeated use of ‘coercive abortion’ is a Trojan horse to disguise blatant and unrelenting opposition to abortion in ALL cases. Just watch how they crumble in the face of questions about extreme cases (rape, incest) or instance in which a person simply does not want to be pregnant. Their ideal world may be one without abortion, but we do not live in their ideal world.

Abortion is healthcare. It is life-saving, necessary, wanted. It’s vital that we acknowledge that not only can we provide safe abortions in cases where it’s medically necessary, but that we can support people who do not wish to have children by providing safe abortions to them, too.

We’ve included a clip of Lucy and Alice chatting to Poppy about our movement and Alice’s experience. We’ve also included clips of the people whose views oppose ours, to illustrate how unstable their justifications for wishing to ban abortion are.

We were involved in a really crucial article in yesterday’s Sunday Times regarding women traveling from Scotland to England for abortion care. Currently, there is no health board in Scotland that provides care up to the legal limit and there is only one doctor in the whole of Scotland trained to provide care to that gestation.

The number of women travelling to England are relatively small, but they’re NOT insignificant by any means. We have heard countless stories from brave women who have been traumatised by having to make the journey.

Since 2022, we have been imploring the Scottish Government to rectify these long-standing problems but as of yet, the care is not being provided and hundreds of women have had to travel to England since we first spoke to the press about this issue.

We will not stop campaigning on this issue until the situation is resolved and women can access the healthcare that they are legally entitled to receive in Scotland.

We were involved in a really crucial article in yesterday’s Sunday Times regarding women traveling from Scotland to England for abortion care. Currently, there is no health board in Scotland that provides care up to the legal limit and there is only one doctor in the whole of Scotland trained to provide care to that gestation.

The number of women travelling to England are relatively small, but they’re NOT insignificant by any means. We have heard countless stories from brave women who have been traumatised by having to make the journey.

Since 2022, we have been imploring the Scottish Government to rectify these long-standing problems but as of yet, the care is not being provided and hundreds of women have had to travel to England since we first spoke to the press about this issue.

We will not stop campaigning on this issue until the situation is resolved and women can access the healthcare that they are legally entitled to receive in Scotland.

40 Days for Life - the Texas-based organisation funding protests at abortion clinics here in Scotland - is unsurprisingly a biiig fan of Donald Trump. 🫠

But why should you care?

It’s obviously no surprise that this is the case, or that their CEO would be so blatant about it, but it does indicate that the recent election and the presence of 40DFL here are in some way connected.

It’s even clearer when you discover that their CEO, Shawn Carney, is such a big supporter of Trump that he was meeting with him PRIOR to 2016, and continues to post about it today, after the 2024 election.

We want to highlight just how sinister it is that they are here as an organisation, and that they feel that there is value in funnelling money into their Scottish operations.

Trump-style politics are not as distant as you might think.

But our reproductive freedoms in Scotland are not up for debate.

40 Days for Life - the Texas-based organisation funding protests at abortion clinics here in Scotland - is unsurprisingly a biiig fan of Donald Trump. 🫠

But why should you care?

It’s obviously no surprise that this is the case, or that their CEO would be so blatant about it, but it does indicate that the recent election and the presence of 40DFL here are in some way connected.

It’s even clearer when you discover that their CEO, Shawn Carney, is such a big supporter of Trump that he was meeting with him PRIOR to 2016, and continues to post about it today, after the 2024 election.

We want to highlight just how sinister it is that they are here as an organisation, and that they feel that there is value in funnelling money into their Scottish operations.

Trump-style politics are not as distant as you might think.

But our reproductive freedoms in Scotland are not up for debate.

🚨 In a new story, The Herald has revealed that only ONE doctor in Scotland is trained to perform abortions up to the legal limit.

This comes after BPAS' efforts to make noise about the lack of provisions here for later stage abortions. People here should not have to travel beyond the border to access healthcare, and the government should not be making claims that Scotland leads on reproductive provisions when it is clearly not the case.

🚨 In a new story, The Herald has revealed that only ONE doctor in Scotland is trained to perform abortions up to the legal limit.

This comes after BPAS' efforts to make noise about the lack of provisions here for later stage abortions. People here should not have to travel beyond the border to access healthcare, and the government should not be making claims that Scotland leads on reproductive provisions when it is clearly not the case.

💗🇬🇧 As of today, no matter where you get an abortion in the UK, there’ll be a buffer zone in place.

Buffer zones come into place in England and Wales today which means that finally, the whole UK has protections around facilities to keep patients and staff safe!

This is a monumental day. We’re so excited that we got to be part of it.

A huge congratulations to everybody who worked so hard on the campaign for England and Wales too! 👏

The UK is now a safer place to get an abortion. Next up: equal access. People in Scotland aren’t given access to abortion up to the legal limit, which is a huge failure. We’re determined to make sure that changes!

💗🇬🇧 As of today, no matter where you get an abortion in the UK, there’ll be a buffer zone in place.

Buffer zones come into place in England and Wales today which means that finally, the whole UK has protections around facilities to keep patients and staff safe!

This is a monumental day. We’re so excited that we got to be part of it.

A huge congratulations to everybody who worked so hard on the campaign for England and Wales too! 👏

The UK is now a safer place to get an abortion. Next up: equal access. People in Scotland aren’t given access to abortion up to the legal limit, which is a huge failure. We’re determined to make sure that changes!

SWIPE ➡️ to read about what it means if you live in a buffer zone.

To make a long story short...
1. Of course you're allowed to have your own opinions, beliefs and conversations in your own home or on your own property. This is not a violation of the law.
2. If you decide to use your garden, for example, as a place to display anti-abortion placards, hand out anti-abortion leaflets or shout at passing people about abortion, that would be seen as the same as the protestors who stand on the pavement.

This article and the wider point is an intentionally alarmist story peddled by groups like SPUC to disguise a broad opposition to buffer zones, and abortion more generally. The argument about free speech came up multiple times during the deliberation process for this bill and is something we take really seriously! It was very important to make sure the bill does not infringe on freedom of speech - so this story is false. ‼️

SWIPE ➡️ to read about what it means if you live in a buffer zone.

To make a long story short...
1. Of course you're allowed to have your own opinions, beliefs and conversations in your own home or on your own property. This is not a violation of the law.
2. If you decide to use your garden, for example, as a place to display anti-abortion placards, hand out anti-abortion leaflets or shout at passing people about abortion, that would be seen as the same as the protestors who stand on the pavement.

This article and the wider point is an intentionally alarmist story peddled by groups like SPUC to disguise a broad opposition to buffer zones, and abortion more generally. The argument about free speech came up multiple times during the deliberation process for this bill and is something we take really seriously! It was very important to make sure the bill does not infringe on freedom of speech - so this story is false. ‼️

The time has come. ❤️

Thank you again to every person who has supported our campaign over the last four years. Scotland finally has buffer zones as of today, the 24th September 2024!!! 🏩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Please continue to look out for one another and know that you can report protestors with the confidence that they are breaking the law by being within 200m of a facility.

Here's to safe abortions in Scotland! 🥳

The time has come. ❤️

Thank you again to every person who has supported our campaign over the last four years. Scotland finally has buffer zones as of today, the 24th September 2024!!! 🏩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Please continue to look out for one another and know that you can report protestors with the confidence that they are breaking the law by being within 200m of a facility.

Here's to safe abortions in Scotland! 🥳

Scotland gets buffer zones TOMORROW! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️

This is so huge and very surreal for us. It's a big day for safer abortions in Scotland - we're so excited! 🥳

However we have seen today that the anti-abortion crowd isn't backing down...

We've seen these protestors before at Sandyford clinic in Glasgow. Previously, the clinic has had to go the extra mile to make sure their staff and patients are safely getting into and out of the facility, because these protestors can be especially vulgar. In the past they've escalated their anti-abortion vitriol to racism and other discriminatory language.

But we're determined that not only will Scotland protect its patients and staff, but that in future it will be a country that leads the way in providing safe, free abortions without prejudice or the threat of intimidation or arrest.

We don't know about you but we are more than ready for BZs to come into force tomorrow. 😮‍💨

Scotland gets buffer zones TOMORROW! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️

This is so huge and very surreal for us. It's a big day for safer abortions in Scotland - we're so excited! 🥳

However we have seen today that the anti-abortion crowd isn't backing down...

We've seen these protestors before at Sandyford clinic in Glasgow. Previously, the clinic has had to go the extra mile to make sure their staff and patients are safely getting into and out of the facility, because these protestors can be especially vulgar. In the past they've escalated their anti-abortion vitriol to racism and other discriminatory language.

But we're determined that not only will Scotland protect its patients and staff, but that in future it will be a country that leads the way in providing safe, free abortions without prejudice or the threat of intimidation or arrest.

We don't know about you but we are more than ready for BZs to come into force tomorrow. 😮‍💨

We’ve been campaigning for buffer zones for almost four years now - but what are they?

Since they come into force in just under ONE WEEK (!!) we thought we’d go back to basics and explain the principle of a buffer zone… With some help from the Scottish Government’s publication on Safe Access Zones (since, now they’re law, we should make sure we’re not misinforming you!).

You can swipe through this post to read the breakdown, or go to the Scottish Government’s website (linked on our story), but essentially:

🏩 Buffer zones are legally enforcable spaces around facilities providing abortion services across Scotland.
🪧 They protect staff AND patients from behaviour that could hurt or alarm them, or which seems to be an attempt to prevent or impede someone from accessing the services.
🕯 Such behaviour can include vigils, leafleting, religious preaching, approaching or surrounding people entering or leaving the premises.

We’re hoping to be able to report on locations and maps of BZs ASAP! 🗺

We’ve been campaigning for buffer zones for almost four years now - but what are they?

Since they come into force in just under ONE WEEK (!!) we thought we’d go back to basics and explain the principle of a buffer zone… With some help from the Scottish Government’s publication on Safe Access Zones (since, now they’re law, we should make sure we’re not misinforming you!).

You can swipe through this post to read the breakdown, or go to the Scottish Government’s website (linked on our story), but essentially:

🏩 Buffer zones are legally enforcable spaces around facilities providing abortion services across Scotland.
🪧 They protect staff AND patients from behaviour that could hurt or alarm them, or which seems to be an attempt to prevent or impede someone from accessing the services.
🕯 Such behaviour can include vigils, leafleting, religious preaching, approaching or surrounding people entering or leaving the premises.

We’re hoping to be able to report on locations and maps of BZs ASAP! 🗺

A full circle moment 🥹🩷

In 2020 (four whole years ago!), we began as Back Off Chalmers. We noticed the increased presence of protestors outside Chalmers sexual health clinic in Edinburgh, which is close to the University. It was this that sparked our initial petition to Edinburgh City Council, and from there a nationwide movement started.

Chalmers is one of the first clinics we've seen put up signage like this (swipe ➡️ through to see their poster and the map of the buffer zone) so it feels like a nice way to round out our campaign.

As we've said before: we're eternally grateful for the help of all of the people who've come forward with stories so that we could get to this point. It's nice to see BZs being implemented and we're so hopeful that these stories of feeling harassed and intimidated outside facilities won't happen again.

PS: We'll be back later in the week with an informative post on what BZs actually *mean*.

A full circle moment 🥹🩷

In 2020 (four whole years ago!), we began as Back Off Chalmers. We noticed the increased presence of protestors outside Chalmers sexual health clinic in Edinburgh, which is close to the University. It was this that sparked our initial petition to Edinburgh City Council, and from there a nationwide movement started.

Chalmers is one of the first clinics we've seen put up signage like this (swipe ➡️ through to see their poster and the map of the buffer zone) so it feels like a nice way to round out our campaign.

As we've said before: we're eternally grateful for the help of all of the people who've come forward with stories so that we could get to this point. It's nice to see BZs being implemented and we're so hopeful that these stories of feeling harassed and intimidated outside facilities won't happen again.

PS: We'll be back later in the week with an informative post on what BZs actually *mean*.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland will have buffer zones in fewer than 3 WEEKS!

The Daily Record has reported that Buffer Zones will come into force on the 24th September - just one day before the next series of protests staged by Texas-backed "pro-life" group 40 Days For Life begins. 😁

But what does it mean?

✉️ From the 24th, facilities that provide abortions will be protected by 200m 'safe access zones'. Any one participating in protest action or "vigils" staged in these zones will be subject to a fine.

This is what we've been working for and we're so excited to finally be here. It's not a moment too soon. 🩷

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland will have buffer zones in fewer than 3 WEEKS!

The Daily Record has reported that Buffer Zones will come into force on the 24th September - just one day before the next series of protests staged by Texas-backed "pro-life" group 40 Days For Life begins. 😁

But what does it mean?

✉️ From the 24th, facilities that provide abortions will be protected by 200m 'safe access zones'. Any one participating in protest action or "vigils" staged in these zones will be subject to a fine.

This is what we've been working for and we're so excited to finally be here. It's not a moment too soon. 🩷

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 At their annual party conference this weekend, the SNP voted for a motion to enshrine the right to abortion in the constitution of an independent Scotland.

The problem is... They're in charge in Scotland *now*, and yet they seem to be incapable of ensuring that people here can get abortions up to the legal limit of 24 weeks.

🏩 Instead, they're sending patients to England, relying on the NHS there to provide procedures and fill the gap.

It's almost laughable that they are happy to commit to empty promises in a hypothetical future Scotland, but right now, they won't do the work for people here.

Being sent to England for an abortion at that stage can be, at the very least, a traumatic journey that no person should have to take. If the SNP wants to claim that they are progressive in their reproductive healthcare provisions, they should provide abortions up to the legal limit.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 At their annual party conference this weekend, the SNP voted for a motion to enshrine the right to abortion in the constitution of an independent Scotland.

The problem is... They're in charge in Scotland *now*, and yet they seem to be incapable of ensuring that people here can get abortions up to the legal limit of 24 weeks.

🏩 Instead, they're sending patients to England, relying on the NHS there to provide procedures and fill the gap.

It's almost laughable that they are happy to commit to empty promises in a hypothetical future Scotland, but right now, they won't do the work for people here.

Being sent to England for an abortion at that stage can be, at the very least, a traumatic journey that no person should have to take. If the SNP wants to claim that they are progressive in their reproductive healthcare provisions, they should provide abortions up to the legal limit.

A mum who had an abortion while tacking medication for PTSD has bravely spoken out against the protestors who continue to target patients at clinics in Scotland.

Her story is just one of many and is a great example of why we have to keep the pressure on the government to finally end harassment like this.

Protests outside clinics have real consequences for those who have to face them, and they disregard the fact that many patients seeking healthcare may be dealing with other things that compound the feelings of intimidation or fear.

We’ve included some of Rebekah’s comments below, but you can read the full article in the Daily Record at the link on our stories.

“I had an abortion last year and due to the medication I was on there wasn’t really an option for me to keep the child as the drug can impact the baby’s health. I was on the drugs because I suffer badly from PTSD after multiple sexual assaults. I really wanted to keep the baby but it wasn’t advised to do so. Obviously, I felt a lot of guilt and upset. With constant news of these kinds of groups harassing those trying to access abortions, it’s difficult to not be even further triggered and reminded of the difficult decision I had to make. If I had come across them when trying to access an abortion, I would’ve been incredibly distressed. The decision to get a termination affected my mental health negatively anyway, so that kind of harassment would’ve made it 100 times worse.”

A mum who had an abortion while tacking medication for PTSD has bravely spoken out against the protestors who continue to target patients at clinics in Scotland.

Her story is just one of many and is a great example of why we have to keep the pressure on the government to finally end harassment like this.

Protests outside clinics have real consequences for those who have to face them, and they disregard the fact that many patients seeking healthcare may be dealing with other things that compound the feelings of intimidation or fear.

We’ve included some of Rebekah’s comments below, but you can read the full article in the Daily Record at the link on our stories.

“I had an abortion last year and due to the medication I was on there wasn’t really an option for me to keep the child as the drug can impact the baby’s health. I was on the drugs because I suffer badly from PTSD after multiple sexual assaults. I really wanted to keep the baby but it wasn’t advised to do so. Obviously, I felt a lot of guilt and upset. With constant news of these kinds of groups harassing those trying to access abortions, it’s difficult to not be even further triggered and reminded of the difficult decision I had to make. If I had come across them when trying to access an abortion, I would’ve been incredibly distressed. The decision to get a termination affected my mental health negatively anyway, so that kind of harassment would’ve made it 100 times worse.”

Despite the legal limit for abortion in the UK being 24 weeks, people are still being made to travel to England to receive care - and the Scottish government doesn't seem interested in putting an end to this problem.

After research was commissioned in 2014, it was clear that it should be a priority to ensure Scotland could provide care for abortions beyond 20 weeks. One decade later, patients are still being made to travel to another country.

Passing buffer zone legislation is an excellent step forward for Scotland's abortion rights, but we need more support.

It's a failure of this govt that people are being forced to make such a journey in what can sometimes be an already traumatising or difficult situation.

Despite the legal limit for abortion in the UK being 24 weeks, people are still being made to travel to England to receive care - and the Scottish government doesn't seem interested in putting an end to this problem.

After research was commissioned in 2014, it was clear that it should be a priority to ensure Scotland could provide care for abortions beyond 20 weeks. One decade later, patients are still being made to travel to another country.

Passing buffer zone legislation is an excellent step forward for Scotland's abortion rights, but we need more support.

It's a failure of this govt that people are being forced to make such a journey in what can sometimes be an already traumatising or difficult situation.

What's next for abortion rights in Scotland? SWIPE ➡️ to read more - including what we thought of the SNP's manifesto 🫠

We've taken some time to process the passing of the Safe Access Zones Bill 🤩 and we wanted to give you a short update about what we're hoping comes next.

Again, we want to say a huge thanks for all your support and we'd love you to follow us into these future endeavours 🩷

Buffer zones are just the first step. We're getting ready to push for Scotland to *actually* lead the way in abortion rights.

What's next for abortion rights in Scotland? SWIPE ➡️ to read more - including what we thought of the SNP's manifesto 🫠

We've taken some time to process the passing of the Safe Access Zones Bill 🤩 and we wanted to give you a short update about what we're hoping comes next.

Again, we want to say a huge thanks for all your support and we'd love you to follow us into these future endeavours 🩷

Buffer zones are just the first step. We're getting ready to push for Scotland to *actually* lead the way in abortion rights.

🚨 SAFE ACCESS ZONES BILL HAS PASSED IN THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT! Buffer zones are now passed as LAW in Scotland!

After almost FOUR YEARS of campaigning, we are so over the moon to bring you this news. 🥳

We have a lot to sort through (and some celebrating to do!) and will give you more thorough information about this later this week. But for now: thank you so much to everybody who has supported us over the course of our campaign. We started as a tiny grassroots student movement, hoping to make Edinburgh’s Chalmers clinic a safer environment, and now we’ve led the way in campaigning for buffer zones in the UK and helped change the law in Scotland.

We are incredibly grateful for everybody who has supported us, helped out, come to events or rallies, or even just shared our content online. It has been a long few years but we’re hoping that abortions in Scotland from this point on can be safer and without intimidation or harassment.

It’s not over yet! We’re keen to see Scotland set an example in decriminalising abortion for good. But for now we’re going to acknowledge this achievement and we’ll bring you more in the coming days. 🥰

🚨 SAFE ACCESS ZONES BILL HAS PASSED IN THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT! Buffer zones are now passed as LAW in Scotland!

After almost FOUR YEARS of campaigning, we are so over the moon to bring you this news. 🥳

We have a lot to sort through (and some celebrating to do!) and will give you more thorough information about this later this week. But for now: thank you so much to everybody who has supported us over the course of our campaign. We started as a tiny grassroots student movement, hoping to make Edinburgh’s Chalmers clinic a safer environment, and now we’ve led the way in campaigning for buffer zones in the UK and helped change the law in Scotland.

We are incredibly grateful for everybody who has supported us, helped out, come to events or rallies, or even just shared our content online. It has been a long few years but we’re hoping that abortions in Scotland from this point on can be safer and without intimidation or harassment.

It’s not over yet! We’re keen to see Scotland set an example in decriminalising abortion for good. But for now we’re going to acknowledge this achievement and we’ll bring you more in the coming days. 🥰

🚨 Gillian Mackay's Safe Access Zones (Scotland) Bill has moved to stage 3!

We're grateful to @humanistsociety for their live summaries of the Stage 2 hearing, in which several "wrecking" amendments were NOT passed, with the exception of an amendment on chaplaincy services.

Chaplaincy services provide religious or spiritual assistance to patients - particularly people who are at the end of their life. We have no issue with these, and they have existed for a long time. The only concern would be that they do not become mouthpieces for pro-life propaganda, but there is very little to make us believe that this would be a big issue.

Now we look onwards to the 12th! This is amazing progress and we're so excited to be here. We'll update you soon. 🫡

🚨 Gillian Mackay's Safe Access Zones (Scotland) Bill has moved to stage 3!

We're grateful to @humanistsociety for their live summaries of the Stage 2 hearing, in which several "wrecking" amendments were NOT passed, with the exception of an amendment on chaplaincy services.

Chaplaincy services provide religious or spiritual assistance to patients - particularly people who are at the end of their life. We have no issue with these, and they have existed for a long time. The only concern would be that they do not become mouthpieces for pro-life propaganda, but there is very little to make us believe that this would be a big issue.

Now we look onwards to the 12th! This is amazing progress and we're so excited to be here. We'll update you soon. 🫡

Last week, as part of our routine campaigning strategy, we asked you to email your MPs to ask them to turn out and vote against a defacto change to Scotland’s abortion time limit. Hundreds of you did - thank you 🙏

The good news is, the General Election announcement means this vote won’t go ahead. The bad news is, we received some hurtful messages from SNP Health Spokesperson Amy Callaghan MP on Twitter. Swipe to see this exchange. It really took us by surprise and it was something that took us - a handful of young women passionate about advancing reproductive rights in Scotland who run this campaign for free - a few days to process and get over.

Amy says in her post that her votes “wouldn’t be recorded”. It’s false. The legislation that would have banned Scottish MPs from voting on English legislation was abolished in 2021 - she is well aware of that.

Many SNP MPs have voted in the past on abortion law that doesn’t affect Scots (NI regulations for example), and even on English fox hunting laws. So it’s a real slap in the face and abdication of responsibility to state that her vote wouldn’t be recorded.

At a time when abortion rights are under attack across the world, we won’t apologise for doing everything in our power to hold politicians to account and try to advance and strengthen our reproductive rights.

Thanks everyone for the support ❤️

Last week, as part of our routine campaigning strategy, we asked you to email your MPs to ask them to turn out and vote against a defacto change to Scotland’s abortion time limit. Hundreds of you did - thank you 🙏

The good news is, the General Election announcement means this vote won’t go ahead. The bad news is, we received some hurtful messages from SNP Health Spokesperson Amy Callaghan MP on Twitter. Swipe to see this exchange. It really took us by surprise and it was something that took us - a handful of young women passionate about advancing reproductive rights in Scotland who run this campaign for free - a few days to process and get over.

Amy says in her post that her votes “wouldn’t be recorded”. It’s false. The legislation that would have banned Scottish MPs from voting on English legislation was abolished in 2021 - she is well aware of that.

Many SNP MPs have voted in the past on abortion law that doesn’t affect Scots (NI regulations for example), and even on English fox hunting laws. So it’s a real slap in the face and abdication of responsibility to state that her vote wouldn’t be recorded.

At a time when abortion rights are under attack across the world, we won’t apologise for doing everything in our power to hold politicians to account and try to advance and strengthen our reproductive rights.

Thanks everyone for the support ❤️

‼️🧵There’s an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill in Westminster to lower the abortion time limit to 22wks in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 + 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Nowhere in Scotland provides up to 24wks, so women needing care over 20wks must travel to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

That means Scotland’s limit could be defacto reduced.

We’ve reached out to all SNP MPs, and gave @stephenflynnsnp, health spokesperson @amycallaghansnp, and whip @owenthompsonmp a heads up asking for a commitment from them to vote against the amendment. Despite chasing for months they’ve not come to a decision 🫠

So we’re asking you to write to your MP, using the link below, to ask them to commit to turn up to vote against this amendment on 4 June to ensure that there is no defacto change to Scotland’s abortion time limit.

Visit the link in our bio 🔗 to email your MP and let us know when you have in the comments below! 👇

‼️🧵There’s an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill in Westminster to lower the abortion time limit to 22wks in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 + 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Nowhere in Scotland provides up to 24wks, so women needing care over 20wks must travel to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

That means Scotland’s limit could be defacto reduced.

We’ve reached out to all SNP MPs, and gave @stephenflynnsnp, health spokesperson @amycallaghansnp, and whip @owenthompsonmp a heads up asking for a commitment from them to vote against the amendment. Despite chasing for months they’ve not come to a decision 🫠

So we’re asking you to write to your MP, using the link below, to ask them to commit to turn up to vote against this amendment on 4 June to ensure that there is no defacto change to Scotland’s abortion time limit.

Visit the link in our bio 🔗 to email your MP and let us know when you have in the comments below! 👇

We’re very grateful to First Minister for responding to our letter so quickly.

We’re delighted that the FM has recommitted to:

📌 full support of the buffer zone Bill
📌 stopping women needing to travel to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 for abortion
📌 continuing with abortion law review

This is a positive initial step, but we know these commitments have been made numerous times before so we will keep holding the government to account.

We’re very grateful to First Minister for responding to our letter so quickly.

We’re delighted that the FM has recommitted to:

📌 full support of the buffer zone Bill
📌 stopping women needing to travel to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 for abortion
📌 continuing with abortion law review

This is a positive initial step, but we know these commitments have been made numerous times before so we will keep holding the government to account.

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