Criminal charges against Scottish pro-life advocate Rose Docherty were dismissed April 27 after prosecutors failed to provide evidence that she unlawfully influenced anyone near an abortion facility.
According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, Docherty, a 75-year-old Catholic grandmother, was accused of violating Scotland’s abortion “safe access zone” law after standing outside Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow with a sign that read, “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.” She was arrested in September 2025 and charged under Scotland’s Abortion Services Act, which creates 200-meter restricted zones around facilities that perform abortions.
The law, which took effect in September 2024, forbids attempts to “influence” anyone seeking access to “abortion services” within the restricted zones.
Docherty had previously been arrested in February 2025 for holding the same sign, but prosecutors dropped that case in August 2025 after the ADF successfully challenged it, as Zeale News previously reported.
Sheriff Stuard Reid dismissed two charges against Docherty at Glasgow Sheriff Court, according to ADF International, which supported Docherty’s legal defense. The case was reportedly dismissed pro loco et tempore, meaning that prosecutors could bring it back if new evidence is obtained and the Crown Office determines that prosecution is in the public interest.
ADF International said Docherty “did not approach anyone, did not speak about abortion, did not engage in any behavior that was obstructing, harassing, or intimidating, and was not protesting.”
The September arrest sparked international criticism, with the U.S. State Department quickly condemning it and Scotland’s Catholic bishops raising concerns about the law in January.
>> US State Department condemns second arrest of Scottish grandmother <<
Scotland’s Catholic bishops also welcomed the latest dismissal, saying the ruling underscored the need to protect peaceful expression.
“The ruling is an important reminder that peaceful, consensual conversation in a public place is protected, and that criminal offences must be clearly and properly made out on the evidence,” Bishop John Keenan, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said in a statement shared by ADF International. “This case should prompt a careful and thorough review of how ‘safe access zone’ powers are applied so that they do not infringe fundamental rights.”
Bishop John Keenan, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said: “The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland welcomes the court’s decision to dismiss the charges brought against Rose Docherty. The ruling is an important reminder that peaceful, consensual conversation in a…
— ADF International (@ADFIntl) April 30, 2026
Docherty also called the ruling a “major victory for free speech in Scotland and the UK” in a statement published by ADF International. The decision “shows that peacefully offering consensual conversation on a public street, which is all I have ever done, can never be a crime,” she said.
Docherty added that despite the victory, the process “became a form of punishment for me,” as she faced seven months of criminal proceedings after being arrested “merely for exercising my free speech rights.”
“The resources used by the authorities to target me, a 75-year-old grandmother, for offering to speak with people, have been totally wasted,” she concluded. “Authorities should focus on tackling real crime in Glasgow, not censoring a Catholic grandmother.”