Back Off Scotland

Last updated
Back Off Scotland
Formation2020
FounderLucy Grieve [1] ,
Alice Murray [1]
Founded at Edinburgh
Volunteers60+
Website https://www.backoffscotland.com/
Formerly called
Back Off Chalmers

Back Off Scotland is a campaign group advocating against the intimidation and harassment of women attending sexual health clinics in Scotland. After petitioning the Scottish Government for the establishment of 150-metre buffer zones around clinics that provide abortion services nationwide, the Safe Access Zones (Scotland) Bill was passed in June 2024. [2]

Contents

Formation

The campaign, originally entitled Back Off Chalmers with reference to Chalmers Sexual Health Clinic in Edinburgh, was co-founded by University of Edinburgh students Lucy Grieve and Alice Murray. [1] The campaign to introduce 100m buffer zones around the clinic was started in October 2020 after an increase of the number of anti-abortion protestors from 40 Days for Life around the clinic. The campaigners claimed the protestors infringed on patients' rights to anonymity and health care. [3]

After launching a petition in Edinburgh on 9 November 2020, the group created a similar campaign in Glasgow and across Scotland. Following this, the campaign was renamed to Back Off Scotland. [4]

Response

After a petition amassing 4,800 signatures was delivered, the Edinburgh City Council debated the issues and delivered their response in February 2021. [5] The council agreed that while they do not have the authority to implement the buffer zones themselves, they will back the movement and work with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities in order to support the campaign on a national scale. [5] [6]

Glasgow City Council wrote that they didn't believe they had the power to create buffer zones, and that this must be taken to the Scottish Government. [7] Following the council's decision, a nationwide petition was launched via change.org to petition the Scottish Government to create new legislation. [7]

In the 2021 Scottish Parliament Elections, the Scottish National Party, the Scottish Labour Party, and Scottish Liberal Democrats included the introduction of 'Safe Zones' around abortion clinics in their election manifesto. [8] [9] [10] [11]

In June 2022, Back Off Scotland requested First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to hold an emergency abortion summit in the wake of the United States Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson and an increase in protests in Scotland. [12] The summit was held on the 27 June 2022 and attended by Alice and Lucy. During the summit, the Scottish Government announced their intentions to support the Back Off Scotland campaign and introduce buffer zone legislation. [13] During the campaign, Lucy and Alice were critical of the Scottish Government's inaction over buffer zone legislation and voiced concerns that the Government were backtracking on their commitment to a national 'blanket' approach. [14]

In July 2022 the group held musical events in Glasgow and Edinburgh to raise funds for their campaign. [15] In November of the same year, the campaign, along with Scottish Greens MSP Gillian Mackay, won the Herald award for Public Campaign of the Year at the newspaper's Scottish Politicians of the Year Awards. [16]

In February 2023, Back Off Scotland spoke at the second Scottish Abortion summit. [14]

Mackay launched the Safe Access Zones (Scotland) Bill in the Scottish Parliament in October 2023. [2] The Bill passed Stage 1 in April 2024 and Stage 2 in May. [2] It was passed at Stage 3 in June 2024, and became an Act in July. [2] As of September 2024, clinics offering abortion services nationwide are subject to 200m buffer zones. [17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Skopeliti, Clea (16 September 2022). "'Protesters just scream abuse': The campaigners battling to make UK abortion clinics safer". The Guardian.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Scottish Parliament". www.parliament.scot. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  3. ↑ "'We are anti-harassment': We spoke to the Edinburgh students behind Back off Chalmers". 23 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "About | Back off Scotland".
  5. 1 2 "Edinburgh Council to support moves to have abortion clinic buffer zones". BBC News. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "City of Edinburgh to support 'Back Off Scotland' in push for abortion clinic buffer zones". University of Edinburgh. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 "PETITION". BackOffScotland. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "Our 2021 Manifesto". Scottish Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  9. ↑ SNP, the (15 April 2021). "SNP 2021 Manifesto: Scotland's Future, Scotland's Choice". Scottish National Party. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Mackay, Neil (17 July 2022). "NEIL MACKAY'S BIG READ: Once intimidated at the gates of abortion clinics, Scotland's women are now fighting back against religious extremists". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Manifesto commitments – Scotland May 2021". Abortion Rights. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "Abortion Summit in Scotland to Reaffirm Right to Choose: Nicola Sturgeon". Bloomberg. 27 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "Abortion clinic buffer zones will happen, says Sturgeon". BBC News. 26 June 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Nicola Sturgeon's emergency abortion summit branded a flop by campaigners". 10 February 2023.
  15. ↑ Brown, Hannah (17 July 2022). "Back Off Scotland hosts live music nights in Edinburgh and Glasgow to raise funds for buffer zone campaign". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "Gillian Mackay's Buffer Zone Bill named Public Campaign of Year". Scottish Greens. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  17. ↑ Scottish Government (5 September 2024). "Abortion services: Safe Access Zones" . Retrieved 29 October 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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