SPUC Scotland has condemned the announcement by the Scottish government that it will follow England in offering free abortions for women from Northern Ireland.

A Scottish government spokesman said yesterday:

"The Scottish government's view is that abortion should be part of standard healthcare for all women, and available free from stigma. The Scottish government believes that a woman from Northern Ireland, in Scotland, should be able to access an abortion for free on the same basis as women in Scotland and we will set out shortly how that can be achieved.";

John Deighan, CEO of SPUC Scotland, responded saying: "This is a disgraceful decision. Nicola Sturgeon's government prides itself on distancing itself from that of the UK, but it is quite willing to ape its decisions when it comes to ending the lives of Northern Irish babies.

"This also makes her aspirations for an independent Scotland seem completely hypocritical - she wants respect for Scotland as an autonomous nation, but has absolutely no respect for the laws and beliefs of a fellow devolved nation. This move, both by the UK government and by the Scottish government, completely undermines the democratic will of the people of Northern Ireland, who have proved time and time again that they want to protect the unborn.

"Abortion is not healthcare, and as a compassionate society we should be looking at better solutions to crisis pregnancy - solutions in the best interests of both mother and child."

SPUC Scotland have recently launched a petition, calling on pro-life supporters to commit to opposing the decriminalisation of abortion.

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