A pensioner has become the first person in Scotland to be arrested under a law banning protests outside hospitals.
Police said that the 74-year-old was detained at the Hardgate Road area of Glasgow, opposite the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Wednesday afternoon.
A group of protesters had previously assembled at the site earlier in the day for an anti-abortion ‘prayer vigil’, despite it being inside the buffer zone where such activities are prohibited.
A law – the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024 - came into effect in September prohibiting anti-abortion protestors gathering within 200m of hospitals or clinics in Scotland.
Police Scotland said that officers attended, and the 74-year-old woman was arrested in connection with breach of the exclusion zone.
She was later charged and will be reported to the procurator fiscal.
These anti-abortion activists have returned to the QEUH in Glasgow for their usual Tuesday protest.
— Back Off Scotland (@backoffscotland) July 9, 2024
Although we changed the law, we are still without an implementation date meaning that this activity cannot currently be stopped.
As soon as we know when this is we will update. pic.twitter.com/i4xLHKz7XJ
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Officers remain at the scene and enquiries are ongoing.”
Anti-abortion groups such as 40 Days for Life have previously held their largest protests outside hospitals in Scotland during Lent which starts at the beginning of March.
The protest comes after American vice president JD Vance used the Scottish legislation as an example of free speech “in retreat” during a speech at an international conference.
Ms Mckay said: “The protests that have taken place outside Queen Elizabeth have been utterly shameful and I am grateful to Police Scotland for acting so quickly.
"Everybody deserves to have access to healthcare without harassment. That is why I introduced my Act, and why these disgraceful protests are now illegal.
“We know the awful impact that these protests have had. Some of the testimonies from women who have had to endure them have been heartbreaking."
READ MORE:
- Anti-abortion protestors return to Glasgow hospital
- First Minister says JD Vance 'just wrong' over buffer zones
Ms Mckay added: “I urge anyone who is planning to protest in a safe access zone to think again, as they will be stopped and there will be consequences.
“It’s no coincidence that this has happened so soon after JD Vance and his supporters have spread toxic misinformation about Scotland, it is vital that we stand up for reproductive rights and against those who are working to undermine them.”
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