Meeting of the Parliament 12 November 2024
The women’s health plan that was launched in 2021 marked a significant commitment to addressing the distinct health needs of women across Scotland and aimed to close gaps in care, improve health outcomes and promote health equity. The very existence of that plan has brought much-needed attention to issues that have historically been sidelined and significantly underfunded.
The plan recognised that taking a dedicated approach to women’s health is essential for the wellbeing of women and of our wider communities. It also acknowledged that there is an urgent need for societal and cultural shifts in attitudes to women’s health and that much more must be done to address the long-standing health inequalities that women face. It set out a way to achieve those lasting changes, and I welcome the updates that we have received throughout the life of the plan. The final report that is the topic of today’s debate sets out the important progress that has been made and raises the areas in which work is still to be done.
A number of commitments, and the significant progress that has been made towards them, should be celebrated. I am a little embarrassed to say that, when preparing the “progress” section of this speech, I forgot to mention my own act of Parliament. That might be because it is in my nature to want to move on and do the next thing. I thank the minister for her kind words about my Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024. I also thank the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport for her kind words when she had the women’s health role, as well as thanking the ministerial teams, the campaigners, and those with lived experience who gave evidence.
No one will be surprised to hear that I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment in the plan to review abortion law and its recognition of the importance of having a legal framework that reflects both current practice and the needs of patients and healthcare professionals. Parliament has rightly acknowledged abortion as part of healthcare for those who need it. Law reform is not the only area in which abortion care must progress: late-stage abortion and the recruitment of staff who can carry that out must also be addressed.
I hope that the law review will carefully examine the gaps and inadequacies in current legislation, assess the need for changes and consider how to bring about concrete change. However, that process must be urgent. There is no room for delay, and I hope that we will see progress and a clear path being set out to achieve that before the end of the session. Scotland needs a responsive and timely approach to the issue.
I feel that, so far, the plan has involved a genuinely collaborative approach. The meetings that we have had with ministers and the women’s health champion, Professor Glasier, have been informative, but they have also felt like a genuine dialogue. Although I will move on to discuss some things that we should be doing better on or looking at, I will do so in the context of genuine collaboration and making progress for women. I am pleased to hear that Professor Glasier has agreed to stay on as the women’s health champion.