{"id":332064,"date":"2025-05-30T15:32:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T20:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=332064"},"modified":"2025-05-30T09:24:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T14:24:00","slug":"scotland-abortion-record-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/scotland-abortion-record-high\/","title":{"rendered":"Abortions in Scotland hit record high in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

(Right to Life UK<\/a>) \u2014 Abortion statistics\u00a0released<\/a> [May 27] by Public Health Scotland show there were 18,710 abortions in Scotland in 2024, the highest number on record. This represents an increase of 468 abortions, with numbers increasing from 18,242 in 2023 to 18,710 in 2024.<\/p>\n

The abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 increased from 17.5 in 2023 to 17.9 in 2024, and there was a 15.38% increase in the number of babies with Down syndrome who were aborted. The number of babies with Down syndrome who were aborted has increased by 81.82% since 2021.<\/p>\n

There was also a rise in repeat abortions from 7,282 to 7,670. In 2024, 40.99% of abortions were repeat abortions.<\/p>\n

The statistics also show that there were 280 disability-selective abortions in Scotland in 2024, a 62.79% increase from 2018.<\/p>\n

There was a rise in the number of abortions at between 18 and 20 weeks gestation from 147 in 2023 to 152 in 2024.<\/p>\n

Continued push for introducing extreme changes to abortion law in Scotland<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last September, delegates at the SNP National Conference\u00a0voted<\/a>\u00a0in favour of a resolution calling for \u201cthe right to abortion\u201d to be enshrined in a \u201cfuture constitution of an independent Scotland\u201d.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0resolution<\/a>\u00a0states that access to abortion \u201cshould not be subject to the changing tides of political or judicial decisions\u201d, and that \u201clegal abortion is a fundamental aspect of healthcare and bodily autonomy\u201d.<\/p>\n

READ: Pro-life groups call on DOJ to investigate deaths of five aborted babies<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The resolution also states that enshrining abortion in the constitution would safeguard access to abortion \u201cagainst any potential political or legal regression\u201d.<\/p>\n

An absolute right to abortion would mean that abortion would be available on demand, for any reason, up to birth. If this radical change were introduced, Scotland would be left with one of the most extreme abortion regimes in the world.<\/p>\n

Abortion buffer zones introduced in 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act<\/a>\u00a0came into force on 24 September 2024, introducing the world\u2019s most extreme buffer zone law in Scotland.<\/p>\n

It created a minimum of 200m \u2018safe access\u2019, or buffer, zones around any facility that performs abortions where offering support to women would be criminalised. The 200m is a minimum, as abortion providers can apply for the zone to be extended, with the Act giving the Scottish Government the power to extend any buffer zone beyond the 200m if they judge that the existing zone \u201cdoes not adequately protect\u201d women seeking an abortion. There is no limit on the size of the buffer zone that can be created under this power.<\/p>\n

The minimum size of the buffer zones introduced by this law extends further than the minimum size of any other buffer zones in the world. For example, the\u00a0Public Order Act 2023<\/a>\u00a0in England and Wales sets the limits of the buffer zones at 150m and the legislation does not give the Government the power to extend buffer zones beyond 150m. Most buffer zones in Northern Ireland are\u00a0100m<\/a>, half the size of what is being proposed in Scotland.<\/p>\n

Within these zones, it is illegal to influence a person in regard to their decision \u201cto access\u2026 the provision of abortion\u201d in an abortion clinic or a hospital. These provisions make offers of help to women seeking an abortion illegal within a buffer zone, and appear to criminalise silent prayer.<\/p>\n

Anyone who commits an offence can be fined up to \u00a310,000 on a\u00a0summary conviction<\/a>, or an unlimited fine on indictment.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0provisions<\/a>\u00a0of the law apply to anything \u201cvisible or audible\u201d within a buffer zone, even if these relate to private buildings. This means it may be illegal for pro-life signs to be displayed from a window within a private home or outside a place of worship if the signs are within the boundaries of or visible to a buffer zone. Similarly, conversations in private homes or outside churches may be included if they are audible inside a buffer zone. Referring to private dwellings, Mackay herself\u00a0told the Committee<\/a>\u00a0\u201cit is essential that such premises are covered by the legislation\u201d.<\/p>\n

At-home abortion<\/strong><\/p>\n

This significant rise in abortions has accompanied the fourth full year that at-home abortion services have been operating in Scotland. Since home abortions were introduced, a number of\u00a0significant problems<\/a>\u00a0have arisen.<\/p>\n

Polling\u00a0published in the Daily Telegraph<\/a>\u00a0last year shows that 71% of women support the reinstatement of in-person appointments and only 9% are in favour of the status quo. In contrast,\u00a0only 16% of the public<\/a>\u00a0support proposals to decriminalise abortion.<\/p>\n

Polling also shows large majorities of women in the UK support a\u00a0number of changes<\/a>\u00a0to abortion laws that would have a positive impact on lowering the number of abortions. The polling shows that 70% of women want the current time limit on abortion to be lowered and 91% of women want a ban on sex-selective abortion.<\/p>\n

Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said \u201cIt is a great tragedy that 18,710 lives were lost to abortion in Scotland last year, the highest number on record\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery one of these abortions represents a failure of our society to protect the lives of babies in the womb and a failure to offer full support to women with unplanned pregnancies\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis significant rise in abortions has accompanied the fourth full year that abortion services outside of a clinical setting have been operating in Scotland\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAhead of at-home abortions being permanently made available, a large number of MSPs, MPs and medical professionals warned about the negative impact these schemes would have on women\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince then, we have seen these concerns confirmed, with women such as Carla Foster performing at-home abortions well beyond the 24-week time limit, putting their health at serious risk. If Carla Foster had been given an in-person consultation, where her gestation could have been accurately determined, she would not have been able to access abortion pills and this tragic case would have been prevented\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe clear solution here is the urgent reinstatement of in-person appointments. This would prevent women\u2019s lives from being put at risk from self-administered late-term abortions\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolling<\/a>\u00a0shows that 71% of women support the reinstatement of in-person appointments and only 9% are in favour of the status quo\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are calling on the Scottish Government to urgently reinstate in-person consultation for home abortions\u201d.<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at Right to Life UK<\/a> and is reprinted here with permission.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Right to Life UK) \u2014 Abortion statistics\u00a0released [May 27] by Public Health Scotland show there were 18,710 abortions in Scotland in 2024, the highest number on record. This represents an increase of 468 abortions, with numbers increasing from 18,242 in 2023 to 18,710 in 2024. The abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":669,"featured_media":255622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[7077,5,3473,11],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nAbortions in Scotland hit record high in 2024<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For the second year in a row, abortions in Scotland hit a record high, including a 15% increase in babies with Down syndrome being aborted.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/righttolife.org.uk\/news\/scotland-abortion-numbers-highest-on-record\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Abortions in Scotland hit record high in 2024\" \/>\n<meta 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