Whisper it, but respectable, liberal, secular, middle-class Scotland still has a problem with the Catholic Church. Not openly, of course, but, none the less, the church is still the object of some suspicion and even fear in certain circles. Notably, its influence is presumed to be disproportionate and, consequently, must be resisted.
If we’re interested in being honest — a dangerous assumption in modern Scotland, admittedly — that’s the single biggest reason why the Scottish parliament has no power to legislate for abortion. Secular, liberal Scotland assumes that the Catholic “lobby” would put pressure on ministers to restrict abortion rights north of the border.
Donald Dewar’s Scotland Bill allowed for an expansive definition of devolution. Only matters expressly reserved to Westminster would be considered beyond