Engender blog

Call for expert working group on decriminalisation of abortion accepted by Scottish Government

Abortion care in Scotland is in urgent need of modernisation, with the current framework acting as a drag on services and as a barrier to timely access. In June we wrote to the First Minister on abortion rights, alongside 16 other equalities, abortion and health organisations. In the letter, we welcomed the commitments made on the leadership campaign trail and called for creation of an expert working group on decriminalisation of abortion.

We are delighted that this suggestion has been accepted by Scottish Government. We now look forward to sharing how women in Scotland can feed into the review of current structures, and to Humza Yousaf’s commitment on decriminalisation being set out in this year’s Programme for Government. Read the letter and see a list of signatories below.

Dear First Minister,

We hope this letter finds you well and congratulate you on your appointment as First Minister of Scotland.

During your leadership campaign, we welcomed your commitments to protecting and advancing abortion rights. The implementation of nationwide buffer zones, consistent provision of abortion care for all that need it, and removal of abortion from the criminal justice system are vital elements of modern abortion healthcare in Scotland. We also need action to tackle growing capacity gaps across services, to ensure equality of access to person-centred abortion care, and to ensure that NHS staff are working in fully equipped and well-resourced services.

Steady progress has been made regarding abortion in recent years. The NHS Scottish Abortion Care Providers Group has worked closely with Scottish Government to advance commitments set out in the Women’s Health Plan, including early medical abortion at home, telemedical care, and improved provision of mid-term abortions across the country.

We now look forward to further progress under your leadership, and to working with the Scottish Government and Women’s Health Champion towards delivery of your commitments. We are aware that Scottish Government already has regular engagement with the NHS Scottish Abortion Care Providers Group, which will, of course, continue to be invaluable. Building on your commitment to move forward decriminalisation of abortion, we believe that an expert working group would be of assistance to Scottish Government Ministers on this topic, and would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further.

Two-child benefits cap confirmed to stay if Labour Party win next UK General Election

This week, we join many other civil society organisations in the UK in expressing our concern and deep disappointment that Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed the UK Labour Party will keep the two-child benefits cap policy if successful at the next General Election. This policy, alongside many others introduced by the Conservative UK Government in so-called ‘welfare reforms’, is discriminatory and misogynistic- worsening gender inequality by pushing millions of families into poverty. It is a political choice to penalise the most vulnerable in our society and alongside organisations such CPAG, Action for Children and others, we will also be urging the UK Labour Party to reconsider their position.

Also known as the ‘family cap’, the two-child benefits cap tells families who rely on social security for their well-being that help will only be provided if you have a maximum of two children. This ‘family cap’ will not apply if a third or subsequent child is conceived as a result of rape. Known as the ‘rape clause’, this policy forces women to disclose that they are a victim of rape at a time and in a context not of her own choosing. On 6 April 2017, the rape clause and two-child limit came into effect without any parliamentary vote, requiring women to fill in an eight-page form to prove they have been raped.

We have consistently worked alongside the wider women’s sector to campaign against this cruel and discriminatory social security policy and highlight how such a policy amounts to state intrusion into women’s reproductive decisions. We know that ‘family cap’ policies also adversely affect poorer women, women who are more reliant on social security due to disability and particularly women from communities who traditionally have larger families. This includes refugee women and some women from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Where are the women? Nearly 500 women are ‘missing’ from key positions of power in Scotland

New figures from Engender show that 471 women are ‘missing’ from key positions of power in Scotland.

GUEST BLOG: Agoraphobia and Gender Post Covid-19

Women’s social, economic, cultural and political inequality with men undermines good mental health and wellbeing in a wide range of ways, including the impacts of gender stereotyping, medical misogyny and racism, and of course the disproportionate impact that austerity, Covid-19 and the cost of living crises have on women's mental health.

In this long read, guest author Muna Saeed explores the impact of gender on agoraphobia, and how this affects women in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Imagine a world where the thought of leaving your home fills you with dread and anxiety.

As the world outside continues to spin, you're trapped inside, desperately seeking comfort from the chaos that lies beyond your front door. This is the reality for those diagnosed with agoraphobia, a condition that goes beyond a simple fear of public spaces. It's a suffocating fear of being in situations where escape is difficult, and the fear of panic attacks threatens to consume your every waking moment. But what happens when we introduce gender into this equation? As a mental health worker who works closely with individuals grappling with mental health challenges, including agoraphobia, my aim is to shed light on the intricate and gendered complexities of this condition in a post-Covid-19 world.