SNP cancels conference debate on coerced abortion after members’ concerns
The SNP has cancelled a fringe event on coerced abortion that the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) had booked for its conference in Aberdeen. The party said it acted after members raised concerns and wanted the conference to be a place where all members felt comfortable; SPUC accused it of suppressing lawful debate and said the decision may breach equality law.
SPUC said it had been in contact with conference organisers since August without concerns being raised, and that its planned discussion was about protecting women from pressure to have abortions. The organisation said it was seeking legal advice and called on First Minister John Swinney to clarify his position on legal protections against coerced abortion. The SNP said its initial decision to allow the event was wrong because it did not meet its aim of making members comfortable.
- The SNP cancelled SPUC’s conference event after members raised concerns.
- SPUC says the decision may breach the Equality Act.
- The event was to discuss legal protections against coerced abortion.
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Coerced abortion refers to pressure or control that forces someone to end a pregnancy against their wishes. It is considered a violation of women's rights and autonomy. The row centres on whether a Scottish political conference should host a debate on protecting women from this practice.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) governs Scotland and holds an annual conference. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) is an anti-abortion campaign group that booked a fringe event to discuss protecting women from coerced abortion. The SNP cancelled the event after members raised concerns about its presence at the conference.
The cancellation represents a dispute about balancing free speech with creating inclusive conference spaces. SPUC argues it was promoting a legitimate women's protection issue and that the SNP is suppressing lawful debate; the SNP maintains cancellation was necessary to ensure member comfort. The disagreement also touches on broader questions about abortion policy in Scotland.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The cancellation of a lawfully constituted organisation's fringe event suppresses legitimate debate on a genuine women's protection matter. SPUC contends that months of uncontested planning followed by sudden cancellation suggests reactive political pressure rather than principled conference management, particularly given the event's focus on protecting women from coercion rather than advancing a partisan agenda. Equality law typically requires fair treatment of different lawful viewpoints, raising serious questions about whether viewpoint discrimination against disfavoured organisations may have occurred.
The case against
A political party's conference is a private event where the party has authority to curate an inclusive environment where all members feel welcome. The SNP consulted members, discovered genuine discomfort with the event, and corrected an initially flawed approval decision to better serve its commitment to an atmosphere where diverse members feel at ease. Party leadership has a legitimate responsibility to balance diverse membership perspectives when making programme decisions for private events.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Anti-abortion campaigners accuse SNP of acting like a ‘totalitarian regime’ after party conference event cancellation”.