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Nicola Sturgeon announces expanded abortion access a priority for the Scottish Government

Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has announced that the Scottish Government will expand access to abortion in Scotland, despite last year’s figures being the second highest on record.

Speaking in Holyrood on Tuesday 1 September, Sturgeon outlined her party’s intention to expand access to abortion over the next 12 months.

The pledge is also included in the Government’s Programme for 2020-2021, which sets out the actions they will take in the coming year as a “priority action”.

Second-highest abortion figures on record

The SNP Government plan to expand access to abortion comes just one week after the release of official statistics revealed that the number of abortions carried out in Scotland last year reached the second highest number on record.

Official figures from Public Health Scotland show that 13,583 terminations carried out in 2019 – the highest total since 2008 and an increase of 297 from 2018 when there were 13,286 abortions.

SNP MP faces difficulty for pro-life values

One SNP MP, Dr Lisa Cameron, has faced difficulty for holding pro-life values whilst being in the party.  

Ahead of last year’s general election, Dr Cameron revealed fears that her opposition to imposing an extreme abortion regime on Northern Ireland resulted in her being the last party member approved to stand for re-election.

In July 2019, the former doctor voted against an amendment which would force abortion on Northern Ireland.

While the matter was a free vote for individuals to decide in line with their own conscience, Nicola Sturgeon made it clear that she supported abortion.

Dr Camron revealed at the time her office had received more than 900 messages of “abuse” and “cyberbullying” for voting against the amendment.

Since then, Dr Cameron has continued to face a campaign of abuse from abortion activists and recently received a death threat against an elderly relative following her vote against a Bill that would deny women practical and emotional support outside abortion clinics.

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Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.

Dear reader,

Despite the Leadbeater assisted-suicide Bill passing its Third Reading on 20 June, it scraped through by just 23 votes (314-291) after enjoying a 55-vote majority at Second Reading. Had 12 more MPs switched sides, the Bill would be dead. It now limps into the Lords with a wafer-thin majority, where peers can amend, delay or reject it outright.

THE CHALLENGE

Dignity in Dying, My Death My Decision and Humanists UK have poured millions into pushing assisted suicide and will fight hard to stop the Lords overturning the Bill.

At the same time, the Antoniazzi abortion-up-to-birth amendment, passed by MPs in June, also heads to the Lords. If it becomes law, it would no longer be illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason – including sex-selective purposes – and at any point up to and during birth.

We will be up against the UK’s largest abortion providers, BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes), who are expected to push for even more extreme changes to our abortion laws in the Lords.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Thousands of vulnerable lives are now at stake. Battling these two threats is the biggest and most expensive effort in our history, and has drained our limited resources. To fight effectively on both fronts, we aim to raise £200,000 by midnight this Sunday (13 July 2025).

Every donation, large or small, will help protect lives, and UK taxpayers can add 25p to every £1 through Gift Aid at no extra cost.

Will you make a donation now to help protect vulnerable lives from these major threats?

URGENT
APPEAL
to protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.