The rise in abortion numbers also occurs in the context of continued pressure for radical changes to Scotland’s abortion laws, Right To Life UK points out.
Newsroom (06/02/2025 11:31, Gaudium Press) Last year, nearly 19,000 abortions were performed in Scotland. The average number of abortions carried out in Scotland rose by 50% between 2015 and 2024.
Public Health Scotland statistics show that 2024 saw the highest number of abortions ever recorded in the country.
The data shows an increase of 468 abortions, from 18,242 in 2023 to 18,710 in 2024.
The abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 rose from 17.5 in 2023 to 17.9 in 2024. The figures also show a 15.38% increase in the number of babies with Down syndrome who were aborted.
There was also an increase in repeat abortions, from 7,282 to 7,670. In 2024, just under 41% of all abortions were repeat procedures.
“It is a great tragedy that 18,710 lives were lost to abortion in Scotland last year, the highest number ever recorded,” said Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right To Life UK.
“Each one of these abortions represents a failure of our society to protect the lives of babies in the womb and a failure to offer full support to women with unplanned pregnancies.”
The increase in abortions was also attributed to the law that allows at-home abortions.
“Before at-home abortions were made available, a large number of MPs, members of Parliament, and medical professionals warned of the negative impact these programs would have on women,” said Robinson.
“Since then, we’ve seen those concerns come true, with cases like that of Carla Foster, who underwent a home abortion well beyond the 24-week limit, seriously endangering her health. Had she received an in-person consultation—where her gestational age could have been properly determined—she would not have had access to the abortion pills, and this tragic case could have been avoided.”
“The clear solution here is the urgent reinstatement of in-person consultations. This would prevent women’s lives from being endangered by self-administered late-term abortions.”
The rise in abortion numbers also occurs in the context of continued pressure for radical changes to Scotland’s abortion laws, Right To Life UK points out.
In September, delegates at the SNP National Conference voted in favor of a resolution calling for “the right to abortion” to be enshrined in a “future constitution of an independent Scotland.”
The resolution states that abortion access “should not be subject to changes in political or judicial decisions” and that “legal abortion is a fundamental aspect of health and bodily autonomy.”
It further claims that enshrining abortion in the constitution would protect access “against any political or legal regression.”
But Right To Life UK warns that an absolute right to abortion would mean it could be available on demand, for any reason, up to birth—making Scotland’s abortion regime one of the most extreme in the world if this radical change were implemented.
Scotland already has particularly strict abortion buffer zones, following the enactment of the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act on September 24, 2024.
This law created a “safe access” or buffer zone of at least 200 meters around any facility performing abortions, within which offering support to women is criminalized. The 200-meter range is a minimum—clinics can request extensions, and the Scottish government has the power to expand zones further if it deems current limits “do not adequately protect” women seeking abortions.
As a result, says Right To Life UK, there is effectively no upper limit to the size of a buffer zone that can be created under this law.
Anyone who violates the law may be fined up to £10,000 upon summary conviction or face an unlimited fine if formally charged.
The law applies to anything “visible or audible” within a buffer zone, even if coming from private property. This means it could be illegal to display pro-life posters in a home window or outside a place of worship if visible from or within a zone.
Similarly, conversations inside private homes or outside churches could be included if they are audible within a buffer zone. Regarding private residences, the politician behind the legislation told a committee reviewing it that “it is essential that such facilities are covered by the legislation.”
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj with files from The Catholic Herald
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