Rona Mackay: Buffer zone introduction is milestone for women's rights

The right to choose is incredibly important. At its most basic level, it allows us to feel empowered in a world that is so often afflicted by things beyond control, no matter how hard we try.

That autonomy, which is a fundamental human right, is something that many people take for granted while others have for decades had their rights curtailed.

This is particularly true for women.

In the last year alone, we have seen so-called “advanced democracies” retreat to a time when women’s healthcare decisions were made not by her, but by someone else.

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That someone is often motivated by reasons that have little to do with the woman in question, and everything to do with how society sees women’s healthcare and women’s rights.

This debate has raged on for years, dominated by politics or personal belief with women rarely at the centre of it.

This is a conversation that should have health and bodily autonomy at its heart, but instead wider narratives are weaponised in a way that ignores the best interests of women.

And the consequences are obvious.

In the United States, 17 out of 50 stated have outlawed almost all abortions. Another eight allow very limited access to the procedure, while 11 are to hold referendums on the issue this November.

Rona Mackay (Image: SNP MSP Rona Mackay)

Across the world, 40% of women who are of reproductive age – 753 million – live under restrictive abortion laws.

These figures are devastating and completely intolerable in the 21st century.

There is simply no excuse for this.

But while some have taken a step backward, others have moved forward.

In the last 30 years over 60 countries have liberalised their abortion laws, and I am so proud that Scotland is one of them.

We are not only protecting but we’re advancing women’s rights, and today is an important step in that journey as the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act comes into force.

This legislation will ensure that women and girls can access vital, life-saving healthcare free from judgment or harassment. 

Crucially, their right to choose is further protected and enhanced – empowering individuals to determine the course of their own lives.

I pay tribute to Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay’s dedication and tenacity in fighting for this change; and to every girl who longs to make her own decisions about her own future.

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I am so pleased that the Scottish Parliament has made that a little bit easier today.

By recognising that a woman’s decisions about her own body and healthcare are hers alone to make we are ensuring they can live life as they want to.

Nothing is more important than that.

And as we celebrate this milestone, we must also remember the women and girls out there who have never had the right to choose their own path.

I am heartened by the progress we have seen in this country, but I am heartbroken at the regressive steps taken elsewhere.

I will always advocate for those women, and for Scotland to play our part in ensuring that the change we’ve seen here goes beyond these shores.

And to all the girls out there who can’t wait to build a life of their own: never stop fighting for your right to choose, and use your voice as much as you can to empower others.

I was incredibly proud to work with Gillian on advancing change by passing this Act, and I remain just as proud today as it becomes law.

Rona McKay is the SNP MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden