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Publication - Research and analysis

Research into protests and vigils that take place outside clinics and hospitals offering abortion care

Published
8 August 2025
From
Minister for Public Health and Women's Health, +1 more … Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
Directorate
Population Health Directorate
Topic
Health and social care
ISBN
9781836914778

Research into protests and vigils that take place outside healthcare settings providing abortion care in Scotland.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Appendix one: research framework

Prevalence, frequency and scale of abortion vigils/protests
Evaluation questions Information collected by NHS staff observers Qualitative consultation with people who have accessed abortion services Analysis of routine data from NHS Qualitative consultation with NHS staff
How frequently do vigils/protests happen in Scotland? x n/a n/a n/a
Which areas/services most frequently experience vigils/protests? x n/a n/a n/a
On average how many people attend vigils/protests? x n/a n/a n/a
On average how long do vigils/protests last? x n/a n/a n/a
What is the nature of the protest/vigil (e.g. silent prayer, singing, chanting, use of placards, distributing written material etc) x n/a n/a n/a
Experience of accessing abortion services where protests/vigils are taking place
Evaluation questions Information collected by NHS staff observers Qualitative consultation with people who have accessed abortion services Analysis of routine data from NHS Qualitative consultation with NHS staff
Were those who accessed abortion services aware of vigils/protests before attending the clinic? n/a x n/a x
How is the written material used by vigil/protest organisations perceived/experienced? n/a x n/a x
How is the verbal communication used at vigils/protests perceived/experienced? n/a x n/a x
How is the tone/character of visual and non-verbal communication used at vigils/protests perceived/experienced? n/a x n/a x
Were those who accessed abortion services aware of vigils/protests before attending the clinic? n/a x n/a x
Impact of protests/vigils on those accessing abortion services
Evaluation questions Information collected by NHS staff observers Qualitative consultation with people who have accessed abortion services Analysis of routine data from NHS Qualitative consultation with NHS staff
What is the immediate impact of vigils/protests on how clinic appointments / consultations take place? n/a x x x
Is there a relationship between occurrence of protests/vigils and appointment attendance / cancellation? n/a x x x
What is the immediate impact of vigils/protests on how those accessing services feel and behave? n/a x n/a x
What is the anticipated longer-term impact of vigils/protests on those accessing services? n/a x n/a x
Impact of protests/vigils on NHS staff and services?
Evaluation questions Information collected by NHS staff observers Qualitative consultation with people who have accessed abortion services Analysis of routine data from NHS Qualitative consultation with NHS staff
Do vigils/protests affect the consultations NHS staff have with their patients? If so, how? n/a n/a n/a x
Do vigils/protests affect how staff feel at work? If so, how? n/a n/a n/a x
Do vigils/protests have a wider impact on the clinic and how it operates? If so, how? n/a n/a n/a x
What is the anticipated longer-term impact of vigils/protests on NHS staff and services? n/a n/a n/a x

Contact

Email: abortionteam@gov.scot

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