Calls by the Scottish Greens for the rapid decriminalisation of abortion in Scotland have drawn a strong rebuke from the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, which warns that proposed legal changes could permit abortion up to birth and remove existing safeguards for unborn life.
Marking International Safe Abortion Day on 28 September 2026, the Scottish Greens urged the Scottish Government to “bring forward plans to decriminalise abortion as soon as possible,” citing the recommendations of the Abortion Law Expert Group commissioned by ministers. The party’s women’s and reproductive health policy describes access to abortion as a “fundamental right,” argues that abortion care is healthcare that should be treated “like any other health procedure,” and calls for ending the “two doctor rule” and ensuring there are no criminal offences for anyone ending their own pregnancy. In their statement, the Greens pointed to the SNP’s 2026 Holyrood manifesto pledge to consult on the expert group’s recommendations, including decriminalisation within specified gestational limits.
The Abortion Law Expert Group was set up by the Scottish Government in August 2024 and chaired by Professor Anna Glasier, the government’s Women’s Health Champion, with a remit to review Scotland’s current abortion law and consider options for reform. Its report, published in November 2025, concludes that existing law is “not fit for purpose,” describing the framework as “anachronistic” and “paternalistic” and failing to reflect modern clinical practice. Among 36 recommendations, the group proposes removing the requirement that grounds be met and that two doctors agree to an abortion before 24 weeks’ gestation, enabling any appropriately trained healthcare professional to provide abortions, and amending the grounds for later abortions while retaining a two‑doctor requirement after 24 weeks. The report further recommends that there should be no offences for anyone ending their own pregnancy and that women should be removed from any criminal law relating to abortion, while emphasising that abortion provision should remain regulated to the same safety standards as other healthcare services.
On the day the expert group’s report was released, Scotland’s Minister for Public Health wrote to the Scottish Parliament’s Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee, noting that the government had commissioned the independent review to examine the current legal framework and present evidence‑based recommendations. The minister highlighted that the report’s 36 recommendations span gestational limits and grounds, patient and provider pathways, and criminal offences, and said the government would now consider them alongside wider stakeholder views. In a parliamentary session on 1 September 2026, the government reiterated that abortion services should be treated “first and foremost” as a healthcare matter but said there were no plans to reform abortion law in the 2026–27 legislative year, with any future changes requiring extensive consultation and assessment of the expert group’s work. Professional bodies have also stressed that the group’s recommendations are not yet government proposals, with the Royal College of Nursing briefing members in June 2026 that ministers will bring forward their own proposals in due course after engagement with stakeholders.
In an official statement responding to the renewed push for decriminalisation, the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland said it was “deeply concerned” by calls to remove existing legal safeguards around ending unborn life. The bishops argued that the proposals would allow abortion “up to birth for any reason, including sex‑selective abortion,” and warned that removing criminal sanctions would strip away protections they see as important for both mothers and children. They expressed particular unease that the Scottish Greens believe abortion should be treated “like any other healthcare procedure,” saying that this language fails to acknowledge the ethical gravity of decisions about ending a pregnancy. Instead of liberalising abortion law, the bishops urged the Scottish Government and all Members of the Scottish Parliament to reflect carefully on the ethical, medical and social implications of the proposals and called for greater investment in maternity services, perinatal mental health care, family assistance programmes, pregnancy counselling and practical support for women in difficult circumstances.
Women’s health organisations have taken a different view, welcoming the expert group’s recommendations and pressing for legislative change. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service issued a joint statement supporting the publication of the review and urging the Scottish Parliament to move towards decriminalising abortion and recognising it as a core part of healthcare. They argue that modernising the law would bring Scotland into line with contemporary clinical practice and international standards, while maintaining robust regulation of services. Medical coverage in journals such as The BMJ has similarly described Scotland’s current abortion legislation as “not fit for purpose” and highlighted the expert group’s view that the present framework is out of step with best practice and requires reform to treat abortion more consistently as healthcare within specified gestational limits.
Stakeholder engagement around the report is ongoing, with professional bodies such as the Royal College of Nursing circulating questionnaires and policy briefings to gather views on possible abortion law reform. The Scottish Government has committed to consulting on the expert group’s recommendations, in line with its manifesto, but has not yet set a timetable for any legislation, leaving campaigners on both sides of the debate watching closely for the next steps from ministers. Any move to decriminalise abortion along the lines urged by the Scottish Greens would likely prompt further, intense debate within Scotland’s churches and Christian organisations, which are already signalling that they will engage actively with MSPs as the consultation process unfolds.