Woman, 74, becomes first person to be arrested under abortion buffer zone law

A 74-year-old woman has become the first person in Scotland to be arrested under the nation’s abortion buffer zones law.

Police were called to Hardgate Road in Glasgow, across from the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), just after 2pm on Wednesday to reports of an anti-abortion protest.

They said a 74-year-old woman was arrested in connection with breaching the exclusion zone.

“Officers remain at the scene and inquiries are ongoing,” Police Scotland said.

The Safe Access Zones Act was overwhelmingly passed by MSPs last year and came into force in September.

Protesters outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow in 2023 | National World

The legislation prevents anti-abortion protesters from gathering within 200 metres of clinics where abortions are carried out.

Before the law change, hospitals such as the QEUH in Glasgow have become a frequent target of anti-abortion protesters in recent years.

Proponents of the buffer zones say they help protect women from being intimidated while accessing healthcare facilities.

Police Scotland is responsible for enforcing the legislation and those breaching the new laws could face an unlimited fine in the most serious cases.

Wednesday’s protest comes just days after American vice president JD Vance criticised Scotland’s buffer zones.

Speaking at a security conference in Munich, Donald Trump’s deputy said: “Just a few months ago the Scottish Government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within so-called safe access zones, warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law.

“The Government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thought crime. In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.”

First Minister John Swinney said Mr Vance’s claims were “just wrong”.

Greens MSP Gillian Mackay, who brought the Bill forward, described the comments as “nonsense”.

She said: “This is shocking and shameless misinformation from VP Vance, who is either very badly informed about what my Act has done or he is knowingly misrepresenting it.

“He is one of the most powerful people in the world but he is peddling total nonsense and dangerous scaremongering.”