Scotland didn't win the independence
vote during the referendum because people believed the new devolution powers
will give the government a shot at staying in the UK and avoiding a host of
problems with sovereignty.
With new powers comes duplicates of laws
devolved for the Scotland government's personal use. However, this is
necessary, according to Scottish Secretary David Mundell. He said there's no
"convincing constitutional reason" why the move should not move
forward.
One of these is the abortion laws.
Hasty
Devolution
Abortion traffic is a primary concern
among Scottish politicians. As Britain's own rules increase the difficulty of
obtaining standard abortion services, Scotland's new laws will increase this
traffic and increase the cross-border problems of the country.
Women and human rights organizations
said the adoption of new abortion laws may be a hasty devolution of Scottish
laws. The government is also warned that it could create a "differential
and discriminatory impact on women and girls in Scotland."
End of Life
Issues
According to Mundell, the Scottish
Government has the right to deal with end of life issues. With powers extending
to the NHS and criminal justice in Scotland, abortion law, even if a duplicate
of Britain's own laws, is Scotland's own laws.
“I do not see a convincing
constitutional reason for why abortion law should not be devolved and that is
what has led me to this decision. What will follow is proper engagement with
interested parties as we take this matter forward," he said.
