Scottish Government review proposes no explicit ban on sex-selective abortion and abortions up to birth on social grounds, drawing fierce cross-party condemnation.
Newsroom (19/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) A government-commissioned review into abortion law has provoked an intense political storm after recommending that future Scottish legislation make no specific reference to sex-selective abortion, effectively removing the current implicit prohibition.
The independent review, ordered by former First Minister Humza Yousaf and chaired by Professor Anna Glasier, argues that updated laws should permit abortion before 24 weeks for any reason, with no statutory grounds required. After 24 weeks, termination would be allowed if two healthcare professionals – who could include nurses or midwives rather than doctors – deem it “appropriate” in light of the woman’s physical, psychological, or social circumstances.
Critics warn that the proposed broad and subjective test could permit abortions up to birth solely on social grounds, including the sex of the unborn child, with no obligation to record the reason.
The report also recommends decriminalising self-managed abortion at any stage of pregnancy, abolishing all criminal offences for women who end their own pregnancies.
Sex-selective abortion is currently unlawful across Great Britain because it falls outside the grounds permitted by the 1967 Abortion Act. The review’s proposal would end that position in Scotland.
Senior Conservative figures reacted with fury. Shadow equalities minister Kemi Badenoch called the recommendation “totally disgusting”, while former cabinet minister Claire Coutinho described sex-selective termination as “a dystopian nightmare”. Former home secretary Suella Braverman accused proponents of attempting to “appease certain minority groups that prefer boys over girls”.
At Holyrood, Scottish Conservative MSP Jeremy Balfour said the plans represented “an extreme departure from European norms” that would “allow sex-selective abortion right up to birth” and leave “unborn children with no protections at all”.
Commentators joined the criticism. Guardian columnist Sonia Sodha described the recommendations as “so worrying”, while philosopher Kathleen Stock highlighted an apparent double standard in public discourse on late-term abortion.
Pro-life campaign group Right To Life UK labelled the review “one of the most extreme in UK parliamentary history”. Spokeswoman Catherine Robinson cited polling showing the proposals were “widely opposed by women” and urged ministers to reject what she called an “inhumane change to the law”.
A majority of the expert panel that produced the review have declared links to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), Britain’s largest abortion provider, prompting claims that policy-making has been outsourced to campaigners.
Women’s health minister Jenni Minto said the Scottish Government would “take time to carefully consider all the findings” and stressed that the review formed only the first stage of consultation.
The controversy coincides with evidence of shifting public attitudes. An Ipsos survey found younger Britons are markedly less supportive of abortion than older generations, while a Savanta ComRes poll showed 91 per cent of women believe sex-selective abortion should be explicitly banned.
Although concerns have been raised about sex-selection within some UK immigrant communities, the national birth-sex ratio has remained stable. Internationally, however, India and China continue to report millions of “missing” female births prevented by sex-selective abortion.
With pro-life sentiment appearing to grow – illustrated by record attendance at this year’s March for Life in London – the Scottish Government faces significant resistance if it seeks to advance the review’s recommendations into law.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Catholic Herald
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