Campaigners have criticised the Scottish Government after its first women’s health champion does not include abortion care as a priority despite the expert having a background in the field.
Professor Anna Glasier has been appointed as the first women’s health champion for Scotland by SNP ministers.
She will work with partners in the NHS and across the public and third sectors to drive forward actions in the Scottish Government’s women’s health plan.
Prof Glasier has had a distinguished career in women’s reproductive health.
But writing in the progress report on the women’s health plan, Prof Glasier has highlighted her priorities, but abortion care is not included.
Prof Glasier said that “menopause is one of the key priorities” in the plan, adding that she would “like to explore the provision of our specialist menopause services” to take a “national approach”
Also listed in her priorities is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and heart health.
Prof Glasier said: “I am honoured to have been invited to champion women’s health in Scotland.
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“Scotland has a long tradition of being courageous in its approach to women’s health and the ambitious Women’s Health Plan is no exception, recognising as it does the inequalities which affect women in many areas of health.
“I am eagerly looking forward to starting in the role and supporting progress with the medium and longer-term actions set out in the plan.”
But Back Off Scotland, which has led efforts alongside Greens MSP Gillian Mackay to introduce buffer zones outside abortion to protect patients attending medical appointments, has warned abortion care is not included.
Lucy Grieve, co-founder of Back Off Scotland, said: “It’s a great move from the Scottish Government to have appointed a women’s health champion and we wish Prof Glasier all the best in her new role.
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“Given Prof Glasier’s previous work in championing abortion rights – including sitting on the board of trustees of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) – it’s disappointing that abortion has been left off the list of priorities published by the Scottish Government.”
She added: “We know one in three Scottish women will have an abortion in their lives, with record numbers of women have been accessing abortion services since 2020, yet women are still forced to travel to England for treatment.
“Currently, no health board in Scotland provides abortion care up to the legal limit of 24 weeks and only recently have some started providing up to the sexual health standards gestation of 20 weeks.
“In the interim of securing a fit-for-purpose abortion framework for those requiring second trimester abortions in Scotland, last summer we called on the Scottish Government to create an urgent national service spec to align funding, referral pathways, and information for women who would be required to travel.
“This has not happened and is something that we believe needs to be prioritised in the short term.”
Despite not being an official priority of Prof Glasier, the progress report states that the Scottish Government is “committed to safeguarding women’s rights to access abortion care, free from stigma or harassment”.
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It adds: “To achieve this the Scottish Government is committed to supporting legislative change to protect safe access to health care facilities that provide abortion services through national legislation by supporting Gillian Mackay MSP with the development and drafting of her proposed Safe Access Zones Member’s Bill.”
The document adds that “work is being prioritised with NHS Boards to ensure that abortion services for all women up to 24 weeks’ gestation can be provided as locally as possible”.
It says: “In June 2022, the Scottish Government wrote to NHS board chief executives to clarify the expectation for NHS boards to meet the Health Improvement Scotland standard of delivering abortions up to at least 20 weeks gestation.
“All mainland NHS Boards have confirmed that they now offer this service.”
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SNP Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “I am very pleased to welcome Prof Glasier to the role of women’s health champion.
“Her appointment is an important step forward in our work to reduce the unacceptable health inequalities that women continue to face.
“She has a wealth of knowledge and a passion for women’s health and will bring huge value to the role.”
