The “Lets Change the Act” campaign calls for the full decriminalisation of abortion in Scotland and the replacement of the Abortion Act 1967 with a modern, health-based framework. The campaign is backed by more than 200 individual members and 30 organisations, including Amnesty Scotland, the Equality Network, the Scottish Trades Union Congress and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Campaign organisers say Scotland’s abortion law is “badly outdated” and does not reflect modern clinical practices or international health and human rights standards. According to the most recent polling on YouGov, 88% of people in Scotland believe women should have the right to an abortion.
The group said that prosecutions for abortion offences have occurred in Scotland in recent years, as they stressed the need to “future-proof against an increase in unnecessary police investigations and prosecutions”.
Jill Wood, policy manager at Engender Scotland – a feminist policy and advocacy organisation – said on behalf of the campaign: “Today marks a crucial moment in the movement to modernise abortion law in Scotland. “We are calling for the Scottish Government to decriminalise abortion and replace the badly outdated Abortion Act 1967. Women in Scotland deserve a system of abortion care that is in sync with modern healthcare practices and upholds our human rights. “Currently abortion is treated differently from other forms of crucial healthcare under the law, without medical justification. This creates harmful stigma, especially for marginalised and oppressed groups. Wood added: “We need change now. Time’s up for outdated abortion law.”
In 2024, the Scottish Government launched a group to review the current law on abortion and to give recommendations on whether aspects of the existing law should be changed. A report on the review was due later in 2025.
SOURCE: The National, Scotland, by Lucy Jackson, 29 October 2025. Image: PA.