The Scottish Government will host a second summit on buffer zones around abortion clinics later this month. Nicola Sturgeon chaired the first event at the end of June, describing it as “constructive and helpful”.
The second summit, the Scottish Government has said, will focus on the possible use of bylaws by local councils to enforce buffer zones, limiting protests outside clinics where abortions are provided. Such protests – which some in attendance have described as “vigils” – have been held across Scotland in recent months, causing outrage across the political spectrum.
Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay has pledged to bring forward legislation that would create buffer zones, but Government action has been stymied by legal wrangling.
