STUC Women’s Conference programme article

Anne Dean (GMB) and Ann Henderson (GMB/ RMT) For Abortion Rights Scotland

Earlier this year the American state of Texas hit the headlines, with the introduction of a ban on abortions after six weeks. This was the first state to adopt what has become known as a ‘heartbeat’ bill – outlawing terminations after fetal heartbeat detection, which usually is possible around six weeks after conception, many women do not even know that they are pregnant by this time.

The Supreme Court in September decided not to oppose the introduction of this new law, (S.B.8), causing widespread concern amongst the prochoice movement and healthcare organisations. Women’s organisations across America, as at the time of the ‘Women’s March’ against Trump, have been mobilising and speaking up.  Abortion Rights UK and Abortion Rights Scotland supporters have joined these international protests.

Clinics in Texas have closed and many patients will be forced to travel out of state for care, which, some reports suggest, will increase the driving distance to an abortion clinic twentyfold – from an average of 12 miles to 248 miles one-way, nearly 500 miles round-trip. And access to services soon becomes completely impossible if childcare, time of work, and cost barriers cannot be sorted out. Low income women and women of colour will be worst affected.

One particularly disturbing aspect of the Texas law is the power it gives individuals to sue a provider or anyone believed to have aided with, or performed, the abortion. If a prosecution is successful, the person who started the proceedings can receive a payment of up to $10.000. But if a case is not proven, the abortion service provider cannot reclaim legal expenses. Service providers have highlighted this as a risk of ‘bounty hunter’ cases being lodged. The restrictions are so extensive, that even a family member giving a woman a lift to a clinic, could be sued. 

As anti-abortion groups around the world watch and celebrate these developments, so must those who strongly support a woman’s right to choose. This becomes a workplace issue too, as the workers in the clinics and in the health service are threatened with legal action and loss of their livelihood for providing these essential services.

Texas is not the only state working against women’s rights. The state of Tennessee had been operating a restriction to outlaw abortions because of a prenatal diagnosis of Downs syndrome, race or sex of the foetus, along with a ban on terminations after 6 weeks. In September a panel of US federal judges interestingly took a different view on the six week ban, preventing it from continuing in Tennessee, as it was judged to be unconstitutional to have a time frame apply, when most women would not even know they were pregnant. 

Other American states are applying different restrictions, whilst some do indeed work within a framework that respects women’s choices.  However, the events in the United States of the summer of 2021 have been a sharp reminder of the need for constant vigilance and solidarity, on policies and services affecting all aspects of women’s reproductive health. Here in Scotland the Scottish Government published the Women’s Health Plan in August.

This contains welcome commitments on continuing access to abortion services through ‘telemedicine’, where consultations and decisions can be made through one to one online appointments.

Prescriptions of the necessary medication in this way mean that women can complete the treatment for a medical abortion at home, with support as needed, but removing the need for travel. The Women’s Health Plan also commits to ending inequality of access, and to ensuring that services can be accessed without women facing harassment. 

The subsequent publication, in September, of Scotland’s Programme for Government made an explicit commitment to supporting any local authority if it wished to introduce ‘buffer zones’ where access to a clinic locally may be restricted by protest. More generally, the Scottish Government has promised an implementation plan on improved health services for women and girls, and additional resources and powers will go to community pharmacies to provide more long-term contraception where requested.

Abortion Rights Scotland has been campaigning for access to free, safe, legal abortion services for all who need them. We work closely with representatives of the abortion service providers network in Scotland, and with the trade union movement.

The STUC has long had a policy of supporting decriminalisation of abortion, and of standing in solidarity with those campaigning in Ireland and across the world, on ‘A Woman’s Right to Choose’ 

With abortion law devolved to the Scottish Parliament since 2016, we believe a strong Scottish pro-choice campaign is essential, and urge all STUC affiliated trade unions to join us in building this movement. Affiliate at branch and regional level and get involved!

The Scottish Abortion Rights group meets online on the first Wednesday of each month, all welcome – and we can provide speakers and campaign material for your union branch.Details here.

Anne Dean (GMB) and Ann Henderson (GMB/ RMT) For Abortion Rights Scotland

Email: arcscotlandonline@gmail.com

Twitter: @Abortion_RCScot