Two Catholic midwives who lost a legal battle over their objection to supervising staff in pregnancy terminations are to have an appeal heard in the New Year.

Mary Doogan and Concepta Wood, from Glasgow, object on religious grounds to participating in abortions and took Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board to court. The midwifery sisters have a right of conscientious objection and challenged whether the board was entitled to require them to delegate, supervise and support staff in the work in a judicial review.

But Lady Smith ruled against the women at the Court of Session in Edinburgh and said they were protected from any direct involvement with the procedure to which they object.