HomeAboutBlog50+ orgs urge MSPs to decriminalise abortion

50+ orgs urge MSPs to decriminalise abortion

Posted on May 28 2026 at 14:59

50+ orgs urge MSPs to decriminalise abortion

Posted on May 28 2026 at 14:59

Graphic featuring the Let's change the Act logo on a white page over a blue and black backgeound with text that reads New briefing: 50+ organisations urge MSPs to decriminalise abortion & modernise abortion law, above a collage of 55 organisational logos.

Earlier in May, Scotland elected a new parliament, and with a record-breaking number of brand-new MSPs in position, we’ve published a briefing for MSPs urging them to support our campaign for the full decriminalisation of abortion, and commit to introducing a modernised health-based system of abortion care in line with international health and human rights standards.

Scotland is the only part of the UK where women can still be criminalised for ending a pregnancy, and criminalisation creates abortion stigma and barriers to access.

For too long, women in Scotland have had to settle for a system of abortion law that does not put their needs, health and rights first. Abortion is routine healthcare, accessed by around one in three women in Scotland in their lifetime. Yet it is treated uniquely under the law without medical justification. We deserve a modern abortion framework that is in line with best-practice healthcare standards, upholds human rights for all those who need abortion and safeguards against harmful police investigations and prosecutions

We urge MSPs to support a new framework for abortion care in Scotland that is based on international health standards and is compliant with human rights.

Read the full briefing to MSPs here.

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Helen McDade’s appointment as Convenor of the Health Committee needs to be a wakeup call to Scottish Ministers and MSPs that they have to step up the fight for women’s health and reproductive rights in this parliament. McDade has compared women seeking abortion to feral cats getting spayed, suggested that women lie to get abortions, peddled the “born alive” myth, and suggested that “Indian families” practice sex-selective abortion. These regressive views are frankly horrifying and represent a real threat to women and their reproductive rights across Scotland. Abortion is routine healthcare, accessed by around one in three women in their lifetimes. It is deeply troubling that someone in this position of power holds such ill-informed and harmful views. Find Let’s change the Act, @backoffscotland and @humanistsociety quoted in the Herald’s article this weekend. (Link in story highlights).📣 We’re calling on MSPs to stand up for reproductive rights Scotland has elected a new parliament, and we’ve published a briefing for MSPs urging them to support our campaign for the full decriminalisation of abortion and commit to introducing a modernised health-based system of abortion care in line with international health and human rights standards. For too long, women in Scotland have had to settle for a system of abortion law that does not put their needs, health and rights first. We deserve a modern abortion framework that is in line with best-practice healthcare standards, upholds human rights for all those who need abortion and safeguards against harmful police investigations and prosecutions. Read our full briefing to MSPs on our blog, link in bio. @backoffscotland @humanistsociety @abortionrightsscot @lawmanity @amnestyscotland @lgbtiscotland @youngwomenscot @scottishtuc @nusscotland @zerotolerancescotland #Abortion #Scotland #Scottishpolitics #Abortionrights #WomenshealthAbortion remains a criminal offence in Scotland. But #LetsChangetheAct isn’t just about Scotland. Around the world, freedoms that have taken years to secure are being reversed. Decisions are being made that normalise the policing of reproductive choices. These choices, together with the strategies, funding, and tactics that back them, are crossing the Atlantic and endangering healthcare and bodily autonomy across the UK. The good news? In less than forty seconds, you can play a part in protecting reproductive rights in Scotland 💜 Sign up to the #LetsChangetheAct campaign to demand the full decriminalisation of abortion in Scotland and the replacement of the 1967 Abortion Act. Simply follow the link in our bio, select ‘Get Involved’, and complete the free ‘Become a Member’ form, which takes less than a minute to complete. Let’s Change the Act is Scotland’s national campaign to decriminalise abortion and replace the Abortion Act 1967, supported by @amnestyscotland, @nusscotland, @oxfamscotland, @lgbtiscotland, @passthemicscot, @rapecrisisscot, @scottish_trans, @youngwomenscot, @backoffscotland, and many more.“I was 21, staring at a positive test, knowing that even if I moved mountains, there was no way I could make it work. Having an abortion saved my life.” The big crowds, the marches, the posters - it’s easy to forget that big movements like this are made up of real people who know just how important abortion access is. If, like us, you believe that abortion is a vital form of healthcare, and not a punishable crime, join the hundreds of people who have signed up to the #LetsChangetheAct campaign - which is demanding the full decriminalisation of abortion in Scotland, and the replacement of the 1967 Abortion Act - a restrictive set of ‘requirements’ used in recent years to charge and prosecute people seeking abortion. Simply follow the link in our bio, select ‘Get Involved’, and complete the ‘Become a Member’ form, which is free and takes less than a minute to complete. Let’s Change the Act is Scotland’s national campaign to decriminalise abortion and replace the Abortion Act 1967, supported by @amnestyscotland, @nusscotland, @oxfamscotland, @lgbtiscotland, @passthemicscot, @rapecrisisscot, @scottish_trans, @youngwomenscot, @backoffscotland, and many more.
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