A GREENS MSP has made a call for the Scottish Parliament to keep its eye on her buffer zones bill amid ongoing political chaos.

Gillian Mackay, sponsor of the Safe Access Zones Bill, wants to see MSPs of all parties unite around it before its upcoming first vote.

The bill would see 200-metre "buffer zones" established around hospitals or other abortion service providers in order to stop anti-abortion demonstrations.

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Mackay said: "This is a key stage for my bill and the first time that MSPs will have the opportunity to vote on its principles ahead of amendments.

“This can and must be a moment of unity for our Parliament. I am proud to have the support of MSPs from all parties, and hope that we can all stand together to send the strongest possible message.

“Abortion rights are human rights and are key to my feminism, but my bill is also about respecting people’s right to privacy and to access healthcare free from obstruction."

Anti-choice groups have long staged protests outside the facilities of abortion providers.

The US-backed 40 Days for Life group has staged demonstrations outside hospitals in Scotland for nearly a decade.

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Termed "prayer vigils", the protests run through the year, but pick up in intensity during Lent.

This year, protests were regularly held outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow during the religious period.

A major protest outside the hospital in March drew outrage as 60 demonstrators stood outside an entrance holding signs condemning abortion.

At the time, Mackay told The National: "The shocking scenes outside QEUH underline exactly why buffer zones are so necessary.

"Nobody should ever be subjected to that kind of harassment, and certainly not outside a hospital."