HomeAboutBlogBreaking: Landmark report sets clear path to decriminalisation and modernised healthcare

Breaking: Landmark report sets clear path to decriminalisation and modernised healthcare

Posted on November 14 2025 at 09:21

Breaking: Landmark report sets clear path to decriminalisation and modernised healthcare

Posted on November 14 2025 at 09:21

Today, the Scottish Government have released an Expert Group report that provides a clear roadmap for removing abortion from the criminal justice system and replacing the outdated Abortion Act 1967 with a modernised, health-based framework. 

 

  

This is a landmark moment for our campaign.

The Expert Group conducted extensive international evidence reviews and has made recommendations aligned with best practice from leading health bodies worldwide. The findings underscore the reality that abortion is routine healthcare and that Scotland is not meeting health and human rights standards that exist to enable access to quality care and protect reproductive rights. 

We are delighted to see this report released. 

The urgent need for reform is reflected in the rapid growth of the Let’s change the Act campaign, which has attracted over 550 individual members and over 40 organisational members within just a fortnight of launching. This momentum mirrors broader public support, with 86% of UK people believing abortion should be available in ‘all’ or ‘most’ cases, as independently polled by YouGov. 

The message is clear: Women deserve better. Time’s up for outdated abortion law.

So what do we do now?

It’s crucial that our movement builds momentum and that we vocally support the recommendations the report makes. We know that anti-abortion actors will seek to do the opposite and spread misinformation. We need your help to persuade political leaders in Scotland to take action on the report’s findings.

  • Please consider sharing the campaign with friends, colleagues, partners and family
  • Email your MSP here
  • Sign up for free here
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What did Let’s change the Act team members say...

Tags: Abortion law Decriminalisation reproductive rights
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📢We’re calling on MSPs to stand up for reproductive rights!📢 Following the recent publication of the Scottish Government’s Abortion Law Review report, we’ve published a briefing for MSPs in support of the report’s recommendations and calling for the full decriminalisation of abortion, alongside a modernised health-based system of abortion care in line with international health and human rights standards. Since the release of the report, there has been a concerted campaign to publicly distort its recommendations. We’re calling on MSPs to stand up against these kinds of tactics. This is critical for two reasons: 1. Scotland’s women deserve the highest standard of abortion healthcare, and 2. Abortion policy development, like all policy development, should be shaped using the highest level of evidence and expertise, not politicised scaremongering. Read our full briefing to MSPs on our blog, link in bio. #abortion #scotland #scottishpolitics #abortionrights #womenshealth💥Last few tickets remaining 💥. Join us for this free, afternoon session in Edinburgh, welcoming all Let’s change the Act members. We’ll connect, collaborate and plan for the future of Let’s change the Act and the reproductive rights movement in Scotland. Long-time activists and those newer to campaigning, are all welcome. > Learn about Let’s change the Act > Connect and collaborate > Workshops > Creative activities > Lunch, teas and coffees > Merch If you care about reproductive rights in Scotland, this afternoon is for you. See our Event story highlight for the booking link or search Let’s change the Act on Eventbrite. #abortion #scotland #decriminaliseabortionnow #letschangetheact #reproductiverights #womenshealth #womenshealthmatters #abortionrightsWe’ve been appalled to see the misinformation promoted by some mainstream UK media following the release of the report on abortion law reform from the Scottish Government’s Expert Working Group, last week. Let’s change the Act support and welcome the report, which outlines steps to modernise the Abortion Act of 1967. Some media outlets and far-right organisations have made numerous false claims about the report, including, ➡️ Law reform will allow abortion up to birth = FALSE. There is no proposal to allow unrestricted abortion later in pregnancy. The existing 24-week time limit remains, and later abortions would continue to be allowed only in very specific circumstances, in the same way they are now. ➡️ The Report recommends sex selective abortion = FALSE. There is no evidence to suggest that modernisation of abortion law would mean an increase in sex selective abortion. In fact, research has found that sex-selective abortion does not attract support nor generally occur in the UK. This is a deliberate attempt by anti-abortion groups to create false alarm and panic, to chip away at abortion access. These claims also have an undercurrent of 'dog-whistle' racism, suggesting that women with links to other countries where sex-selective abortion has occurred historically, can't be trusted to make decisions about their own bodies in the UK in the 21st century. We have to stand up to this distortion and misinformation. We’re calling for modernised abortion law that puts women’s health and wellbeing first and foremost, protects human rights and prevents harmful police investigations and prosecutions. Join us. Sign up for free at the link in our bio. The Let’s change the Act coalition represents over 40 organisations who support full decriminalisation including @abortionrightsscot @backoffscotland @amnestyscotland @scottishtuc @royalcollegeobsandgynae @cosrh_uk @bpas_1968 @womenagainstfarrightscotland and many others. #letschangetheact #abortion #decriminaliseabortion #scotland #reproductiverights #womensrightsBIG NEWS! Released today: Landmark report sets clear path to decriminalisation and modernised healthcare. We are delighted to see the Scottish Government has released an Expert Group report that provides a clear roadmap for removing abortion from the criminal justice system and replacing the outdated Abortion Act 1967 with a modernised, health-based framework. Several team members of Let’s change the Act sat on this expert group and shaped this crucial moment. The findings underscore the reality that abortion is routine healthcare and that Scotland is not meeting health and human rights standards that exist to enable access to quality care and protect reproductive rights. This is a landmark moment for our campaign. So what do we do now? We need your help to persuade political leaders in Scotland to take REAL ACTION on the report’s findings. ➡️ Share the campaign with friends, colleagues, and family ➡️ Email your MSP via our website ➡️ Sign up as a member for free Times up for outdated abortion law. Let’s change the Act. #abortionrights #decriminaliseabortionscotland #reproductiverights #scotland #womenshealth #womensrights #feminism
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