The British Pregnancy Advisory Service has announced it is looking for a site in Glasgow and plans to open a day care centre for women seeking abortions.

The aim would be to provide a range of abortion services and offer women an alternative to travelling to England for treatment.

Jim Dowson: Protest pledge

The BPAS said the clinic proposal was justified because women need quick access to advice and treatment and there was a need for an alternative to the National Health Service in Scotland.

However, Pro Life Alliance chairman Michael Willis has called on Scottish Health Minister Susan Deacon to prevent the clinic being opened.

He said: "We will do everything in our power to stop the BPAS getting a licence to operate within Scotland.

"The health minister should act now to stop this."

Mr Willis said he was sure all anti-abortion groups would unite in trying to stop the proposal.

Jim Dowson, the founder of new militant anti-abortion group Precious Life Scotland, said his group would be involved in the protest.

He told The Sunday Times: "We would see picketing that place as totally justified. All pro-life organisations should get busy lobbying politicians and ordinary people."

Welfare of women

But a spokeswoman for BPAS said the welfare of women in Scotland was its priority.

She said: "We are seeing several hundred women each year who travel from Scotland to England for treatment.

"These are women who are unable to, or do not want to, access the NHS. There is no other real choice for women.

She added: "We do not have a site as yet but we are actively seeking one at the moment.

"We hope to be the first specialist abortion provider in Scotland outside the NHS."

The Family Planning Association welcomed the planned clinic.