GREEN MSP Gillian Mackay has warned of a "postcode lottery" where some people "are able to access abortion services without fear of harassment in some parts of the country, but others are not."
The politician - whose bid to bring in a Scotland-wide buffer zone law has been backed by 12,000 people, including the BMA and the Royal College of GPs - was speaking as the Scottish Government insisted that using local bye-laws to keep protesters away from women seeking an abortion was still “very much an option on the table.”
That is despite councils warning that they simply do not have the powers necessary.
Nicola Sturgeon convened a second emergency ‘mini summit’ on the issue, meeting with councillors from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen to discuss how ministers could help support the local authorities implement the zones until national legislation could be brought forward.
There have been a number of large “vigils” and noisy demonstrations in recent months, with more expected in the coming weeks.
The 40 Days of Life campaign, which sees churches and other Christian organisations stage protests outside hospitals, is due to start its autumn campaign next month.
Earlier this year, the group gathered more than 100 people outside the entrance of Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Evangelical preachers have now on multiple occasions staged noisy disruptive protests outside the Sandyford clinic in Glasgow’s West End.
The health board says the men have prevented clinicians from doing their work at the centre, which provides a wide range of services, including rape counselling.
Ms Mackay's Bill would see protesters unable to get within 150m of the clinics.
However, a key difficulty to bringing in this buffer zone law is that everyone has a right to freedom of speech, and the UK Supreme Court has ruled legitimate protests in other contexts can be disruptive.
A recent report by Aberdeen City Council said that they on their own would not have the financial means to bring in the zones as they would almost certainly need to defend a judicial review.
That echoes "unequivocal" legal advice previously obtained by COSLA.
The UK Supreme Court is currently considering whether buffer zone legislation passed in Northern Ireland is within Stormont’s legislative competence.
The Scottish Government has said they will wait on the outcome of this ruling before acting.
Speaking after the summit, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government and Local Authorities are in agreement that action is needed, as quickly as is practicable, to prevent the harassment and intimidation of women trying to access abortion services.
“We have been clear that we remain committed to national level legislation on this issue, but we know that this will take time.
"There are complex legal issues to resolve, but bye-laws have not been ruled out and are very much an option on the table.
“The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with affected local authorities and CoSLA to move forward with work to find a solution, and we look forward to more clarity on the matter following the forthcoming Supreme Court judgement on the Northern Irish bill.”
Ms Mackay said: “Abortion rights are human rights. Nobody should be intimidated or abused when accessing healthcare. I commend all of the local authorities who are willing to look at their by-laws.
"I hope that today’s meeting can move us a big step closer to stopping the shocking protests that we have seen from anti-choice campaigners.
“We also need a national solution.
“What we can’t have is a postcode lottery, whereby some people are able to access abortion services without fear of harassment in some parts of the country, but others are not. I want to ensure that all people have the same rights regardless of where they live.”
Ms Mackay said she would work cross-party to progress the legislation “as quickly as possible.”
Edinburgh's Deputy Council Leader Councillor Mandy Watt said: "The Council participated in a very constructive summit today and we will continue to engage on this matter with the Scottish Government and other local authorities with a view to making substantive progress on this key issue as quickly as possible”.
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