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PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
London, 26th May 2026 – The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), the world’s oldest pro-life campaign group, is utterly aghast at the data released today by Public Health Scotland, showing 2025 as the year with the highest abortion numbers on record.
The there were 18,783 abortions between January and December, an increase of 73 from 18,710 the year before, and an increase of 55% or 6,648 compared to the 12,135 in 2016.
In the same ten-year period the abortion rate per 1,000 women rose from 11.9 to 17.6.
The number of repeat abortions have also risen by 255 to 7,927 compared to 2024. This means 42.2% of abortions are performed on/by women who have already undergone a similar procedure once before.
Dundee City has the highest abortion rate in the nation (22.8 per 1,000 women), with the Lanarkshire NHS board recording the highest increase over the last decade: 2,650 in 2025, up 85.83% from 1,426 in 2016.
11,029 (or 58.7%) of abortions are now performed without any medical supervision, with women taking both abortions pills at home. A freedom of information request submitted by SPUC has shown that 1 in 17 women who access at-home telemedicine abortions end up needing an ambulance callout. Over ten years the number of women taking both abortion pills with medical supervision has fallen by 6,936, or 69%.
Late-term abortion has remained high with 209 abortions for over 18 weeks gestation. Eugenic abortions against disabled children have also remained high with 277 Ground E abortions.
Abortion law review
These figures are scarier with the backdrop of the Scottish Abortion Law Review Group report.
The group’s report, proposing changes to the abortion law in Scotland, if accepted would bring about the largest extension of access to abortion since 1967. The most significant proposals include:
- Prior to 24-weeks’ gestation (the current legal time limit), all grounds for abortion be removed and only one doctor’s signature should be required. This would mean on demand abortion, for any reason, up to 24 weeks
- Beyond 24 weeks, abortion be available if two doctors ‘decide abortion is appropriate’
- Decriminalise abortion for women acting in relation to their own pregnancy at any gestation
Taken together, these proposals will effectively legalise abortion up to birth with few, if any, substantive restrictions. Additional proposals include:
- Repeal of The Concealment of Birth (Scotland) Act, which would remove any offence for people concealing the disposal of the bodies of baby’s delivered following abortion at home
- Calls for the Scottish government to include ‘a duty to provide abortion services’ – enshrining in law a ‘right to abortion’
Most people are not in favour of extending abortion time limits, and we call on MSPs to listen to the public, uphold existing protections, and reject these dangerous recommendations.
“The gravest issue”
SPUC CEO John Deighan has condemned the figures:
“Abortion is the gravest issue facing Scotland, and these figures show that it is only getting worse. Scotland claims to be a progressive nation that cares for the vulnerable. Hundreds of children legally destroyed due to disabilities or at viability, feeling the pain of the procedure, doesn’t seem progressive or caring. The proliferation of telemedicine in Scotland, now making up almost 60% of abortions puts women in danger of haemorrhaging and other serious injury without any medical oversight. That isn’t progressive or caring either.
“The Scottish abortion regime is clearly a reckless one that is leading to more vulnerable preborn lives lost every year. SPUC calls on the Scottish Government to not make the womb an even more dangerous place for babies and to reject the abortion law review that would create abortion up-to-birth.
“The SNP, Liberal Democrats, and Scottish Greens must drop their support of the evil proposal commissioned by Humza Yusaf. Scottish Labour, Reform UK, and the Scottish Tories must not just quietly oppose the policy but loudly call for a Scotland that protects children in the womb from reckless governments.
“SPUC will continue fighting for Scottish families, women, and, of course, unborn babies in our main goal: to bring these numbers down to zero.”
Public Health Scotland report:
