Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards its commitment to review the law on abortion to ensure that abortion services are a healthcare matter.
The Scottish Government committed in our Programme for Government 2023-24 to ensuring that abortion services are first and foremost a healthcare matter.
That is why in August 2024 I established an Expert Group chaired by Professor Anna Glasier, the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Champion, to provide an independent assessment of the current law on abortion and, if appropriate, make recommendations for reform. The independent Expert Group’s report has been published today.
The Group examined the current law, and reviewed international examples, stakeholder contributions and other evidence. It sets out 36 recommendations for the Scottish Government to consider and the minutes for the Expert Group meetings, along with their terms of reference, can be found here.
The report represents the views of the independent Expert Group, and it will form only one part of the overall review.
The Scottish Government will now begin its own programme of stakeholder engagement on these recommendations with the many individuals and organisations interested in this subject. I am clear that any future consideration of legislative proposals would also be subject to a full public consultation.