Image: Wikimedia Commons – Scottish First Minister John Swinney
SPUC has today called on First Minister John Swinney to explicitly rule out the introduction of abortion up to birth in Scotland, following the publication of a controversial draft motion for the upcoming SNP Annual National Conference.
The draft motion, titled Abortion Law Reform, seeks to endorse the upcoming recommendations of the Scottish Abortion Law Reform Expert Group. Pro-life campaigners warn that the group’s agenda to completely remove abortion from the criminal framework – often referred to as total decriminalisation – would effectively strip away existing legal time limits, opening the door to abortion on demand for any reason up to the moment of birth.
Under the current Abortion Act 1967, abortion is permitted in Scotland up to 24 weeks under specific statutory grounds, with later abortions only allowed under strict medical exceptions.
By demanding the removal of all criminal penalties and shifting to a purely “health-based framework,” the proposed motion threatens to dismantle these vital legal protections for viable unborn children.
John Deighan, SPUC Chief Executive, said:
“This draft conference motion represents a radical and deeply disturbing shift in the SNP’s direction. While previous conference resolutions supported access up to the current 24-week legal limit, this new proposal attempts to hijack the party’s platform to push through extreme recommendations from an ideological ‘Expert Group’ that wants abortion completely decriminalised.
“Removing abortion from the criminal law altogether means removing the 24-week legal ceiling. It would leave Scotland with one of the most extreme abortion laws in the world, allowing viable, late-term unborn babies to be aborted right up to birth.
“We are calling on John Swinney to show true leadership, listen to the deeply held ethical concerns of the Scottish public, and clearly rule out any moves toward abortion up to birth. The First Minister must reject this attempt to enshrine an extreme, unregulated abortion framework into Scottish law.”
SPUC also strongly challenged claims within the motion that women in Scotland face routine police investigations for miscarriages under current laws, calling the narrative a “misleading tactic” designed to manufacture a crisis and force through extreme legislative changes without public consent.
The organisation is urging its supporters across Scotland to contact their MSPs and SNP party representatives to express their opposition to the draft resolution before it reaches the conference floor.
