Green MSP Gillian Mackay has lauded her abortion buffer zone Bill going before a Holyrood committee for the first time as a “landmark moment”.
The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee will begin its scrutiny of the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill on Tuesday, hearing from activists.
Placing a 200-metre safe zone around facilities that provide abortions, the Bill was brought forward in direct response to recent instances of vigils being held, which campaigners have said could intimidate women seeking care.
Speaking ahead of the first session on Tuesday, Ms Mackay said: “This session will mark the start of parliamentary scrutiny for my Bill.
“It is a landmark moment for the legislation and for reproductive rights in Scotland.
“So many people have endured totally unacceptable harassment from protesters.
“I am really keen that it is their experience which is at the heart of the process and that shapes our response, to ensure that nobody else has to go through what they have.
“These awful protests have become a regular sight outside our hospitals and medical centres.
“My Bill is about ensuring that everyone can access the healthcare they are entitled to without having to endure a gauntlet of intimidation.”
But 40 Days for Life, which organises vigils outside clinics, has defended the action, with the group’s US-based chief executive Shawn Carney rejecting accusations of harassment, adding in an interview last year with the BBC that it was not the Government’s duty to “control the feelings of another”.
A deadline of May 3 has been set for the initial vote on the Bill.