With the New Year now behind us, the Holyrood elections suddenly seem very close — a little too close for comfort. In Scotland, we are facing a right-wing threat that will disproportionately impact women and marginalised communities, and we cannot afford to be complacent.

Based on a recent poll, Professor John Curtice projected that Reform UK will gain seats in the Holyrood election. This would mark the first time a party that could be described as populist has won seats in the Scottish Parliament.

I became involved in reproductive rights and interested in the links between the anti-abortion movement and right-wing groups (some of which propagate white replacement conspiracies and claim feminists use abortion and contraception to reduce white birth rates) when I witnessed anti-abortion activists flouting lockdown rules to target women attending clinics during the pandemic.

Read more

Scots teacher targeted by anti-abortion group over education petition

Thanks to the Back Off Scotland campaign group, harassment-free buffer zones are now enshrined in law in Scotland. However, criminal law concerning abortion remains a concern.

After I petitioned the Scottish Parliament for decriminalisation, the government responded that they would work to ensure abortion was treated primarily as a ‘healthcare matter’ and have now established an abortion law expert group.

My involvement in this issue taught me that it is not strictly a devolved matter. Different legal experts shared varying opinions with me on Scotland's legal landscape regarding abortion. Although Scotland does not have the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, the Abortion Act 1967 — which is tied to the 1861 Act — applies in Scotland.

Additionally, Police Scotland told me the Abortion Act would require them to investigate "any hint of criminality, should it be reported to them". This would include purchasing pills online, something someone unable to escape an abuser to attend appointments might do. Undoubtedly, Scotland will be safer for pregnant people if the rest of the UK is as well.

I am currently petitioning Westminster for decriminalisation, following a significant increase in women being criminally investigated for so-called illegal abortions. One case involved a 15-year-old girl wrongly accused of causing her own stillbirth. Another young woman was criminalised for procuring her own abortion while still a teenager. She was subjected to repeated questioning over six years before finally being put on trial.

This brings me back to the threat posed by Reform UK. It has been well-reported that Elon Musk hopes to replicate his success in influencing American politics by supporting Reform UK as his MAGA equivalent.

Nigel Farage has called for a debate on stricter term limits on abortion (Image: free) Playing to this base, Nigel Farage has already made statements about "debating" term limits on abortion. Those of us in the reproductive rights movement recognise this as a chipping-away strategy. It was deployed in America for decades until the ultimate goal was achieved: a situation where child rape victims must leave their state for abortion care, and women are forced to carry pregnancies destined for stillbirth or the death of the child shortly after birth.

Musk is working hard to create the same polarised political climate he has cultivated in America. Former First Minister Humza Yousaf was targeted by Musk on Twitter/X, and the latest politician to have a target put on her back is the Westminster safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, whom Musk has incessantly tweeted about in recent days.

These are perilous times for democracy and in a small country like Scotland, the amount of money required to influence political change would be inconsequential for someone like Musk.

We cannot afford to wait until elections are called. We need to be proactive and protect our rights now, particularly those of the most marginalised among us.

Unfortunately, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes is no ally to Scotland’s LGBTQ+ community, having stated she would have voted against their marriage rights. She also made damaging and stigmatising comments about abortion during the buffer zone campaign. This does not inspire confidence that Scotland’s leadership will protect us all from the influence of dark money and populist forces.

Meanwhile, the UK is witnessing a drive to demonise disabled people through the media. Those unable to work (frequently due to discrimination, lack of accommodations or simple reasonable adjustments) are being framed as ‘scroungers’.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust notes that disabled people were targeted by the Nazis, who deemed them a ‘burden both to society and to the state’.

We pride ourselves on being a progressive country with a proud history of anti-fascist resistance. In the 1930s, when the British Union of Fascists gained ground in Glasgow, local Jewish and left-wing groups would "no-platform" their meetings by drowning them out with counter-protests.

However, whether we admit it or not, a far-right element exists in Scotland. Struggling communities could be lured by scapegoating solutions to complex problems. Recently, children in a primary school in Glasgow faced racist abuse after a photo of a diverse class with Nicola Sturgeon was published.

Right-wing groups have targeted Glasgow's Sandyford Clinic with threats to "brick it up". There was even a rally in support of Tommy Robinson in George Square. Thankfully, anti-racist counter-protests are always larger and louder, but the threat cannot be ignored.

Read more

If we back the new Syrian regime now, it could become a monster later

We need to protect the rights and liberties of women and minority groups as much as possible with the tools we have. Last year, France became the first country in Europe to explicitly enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution.

The Prime Minister of Spain has vowed to do the same with gay marriage rights and abortion, ensuring they cannot be undone in the future.

This month, a Westminster Crime and Policing Bill is due to be brought forward. It provides an opportunity for an abortion law amendment, similar to the one Diana Johnson proposed but which was delayed due to a snap election.

We must restore trans people’s right to healthcare and bodily autonomy. In the US, we have seen how anti-trans laws, cheered on by old-school conservatives masquerading as feminists, are soon used as legal loopholes by men who wish to deny their daughters access to contraception.

It is later than we think, but Scotland has resisted fascism before — and we can do it again.

Gemma Clark is a teacher and education writer. She is a feminist campaigner particularly on girl’s rights within education

© Herald Scotland