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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 23 December 2024
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Displaying 1019 contributions

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Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 5 March 2024

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 5 March 2024

Dr. Sandesh Gulhane

Just for the record, let us say that I want to go and protest outside an NHS Tayside building about the Professor Eljamel case and all the things that have been happening and say that that is unacceptable. I would be breaching a 200m zone, obviously, because I would be trying to get as close to the hospital as I could. Are you absolutely happy that that protest would not in any way fall under this bill?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 5 March 2024

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 5 March 2024

Dr. Sandesh Gulhane

I imagine that I would have a sign about Eljamel.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 5 March 2024

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 5 March 2024

Dr. Sandesh Gulhane

Would it be possible for you to write to us with some ways of wording that?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 5 March 2024

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 5 March 2024

Dr. Sandesh Gulhane

Thank you.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 5 March 2024

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 5 March 2024

Dr. Sandesh Gulhane

I want to pick up on what Chris Provan said about the potential for protesting outside general practices. We all do abortion in some way, whether through referral, or a doctor who has conscientious objections asking a colleague to take a patient. Would not a 200m zone around every general practice be quite a lot?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 5 March 2024

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 5 March 2024

Dr. Sandesh Gulhane

I want to go back to the question about silent prayer. We have already heard that the impact that that has had on people has been described to us at a previous session. If someone calls to say that there are five people standing in a circle, how can you, as the police, deal with that if you are not going to ask them what they are doing and whether they are protesting or praying?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 5 March 2024

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 5 March 2024

Dr. Sandesh Gulhane

That neatly comes on to my question to Simon Brown and Gerry Corrigan. Is it the case that you have to put down the name of the person who has made the complaint or, for the purposes of this legislation, could it just be the department, the area or the place, as Sarah Wallage has just said?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 5 March 2024

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 5 March 2024

Dr. Sandesh Gulhane

Okay. Thank you.

I suppose that your answers to the final question that I would like to ask will be subjective, seeing as we have not passed the bill yet. In your opinion, will the bill, in the way in which it is written, provide women and staff who attend abortion clinics with the protections that it intends to provide? If not, what would you like to see added or taken away?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 5 March 2024

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 5 March 2024

Dr. Sandesh Gulhane

Professor Cameron, I will also put this question to the solicitor who will give evidence in the next group of witnesses.

If the bill is passed, somebody will have to pick up the phone and call the police if something distressing happens or if there are protesters, and they will have their name recorded, whoever they might be. Might that put people off, or has it put people off, calling the police?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 5 March 2024

Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 5 March 2024

Dr. Sandesh Gulhane

I declare an interest as a practising NHS GP.

Perhaps I can start by asking Sarah Wallage a question that I asked the last panel. I asked it because I was approached by somebody working in an abortion service who said to me that she and other members of staff she knows of have been put off calling the police because they do not want their names to be out there and associated regularly with complaining. Do you recognise that as a potential issue?