Abortion statistics released today 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 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’s syndrome who were aborted. The number of babies with Down’s syndrome who were aborted has increased by 81.82% since 2021.
There was also a rise in repeat abortions from 7,282 to 7,670. In 2024, 40.99% of abortions were repeat abortions.
The statistics also show that there were 280 disability-selective abortions in Scotland in 2024, a 62.79% increase from 2018.
There was a rise in the number of abortions at between 18 and 20 weeks gestation from 147 in 2023 to 152 in 2024.
Continued push for introducing extreme changes to abortion law in Scotland
Last September, delegates at the SNP National Conference voted in favour of a resolution calling for “the right to abortion” to be enshrined in a “future constitution of an independent Scotland”.
The resolution states that access to abortion “should not be subject to the changing tides of political or judicial decisions”, and that “legal abortion is a fundamental aspect of healthcare and bodily autonomy”.
The resolution also states that enshrining abortion in the constitution would safeguard access to abortion “against any potential political or legal regression”.
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.
Abortion buffer zones introduced in 2024
The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act came into force on 24 September 2024, introducing the world’s most extreme buffer zone law in Scotland.
It created a minimum of 200m ‘safe access’, 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 “does not adequately protect” women seeking an abortion. There is no limit on the size of the buffer zone that can be created under this power.
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 Public Order Act 2023 in 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 100m, half the size of what is being proposed in Scotland.
Within these zones, it is illegal to influence a person in regard to their decision “to access… the provision of abortion” 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.
Anyone who commits an offence can be fined up to £10,000 on a summary conviction, or an unlimited fine on indictment.
The provisions of the law apply to anything “visible or audible” 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 told the Committee “it is essential that such premises are covered by the legislation”.
At-home abortion
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 significant problems have arisen.
Polling published in the Daily Telegraph last 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, only 16% of the public support proposals to decriminalise abortion.
Polling also shows large majorities of women in the UK support a number of changes to 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.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “It is a great tragedy that 18,710 lives were lost to abortion in Scotland last year, the highest number on record”.
“Every 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”.
“This significant rise in abortions has accompanied the fourth full year that abortion services outside of a clinical setting have been operating in Scotland”.
“Ahead 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”.
“Since 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”.
“The clear solution here is the urgent reinstatement of in-person appointments. This would prevent women’s lives from being put at risk from self-administered late-term abortions”.
“Polling shows that 71% of women support the reinstatement of in-person appointments and only 9% are in favour of the status quo”.
“We are calling on the Scottish Government to urgently reinstate in-person consultation for home abortions”.
