A US anti-abortion group is planning a series of protests outside a hospital in Scotland despite a law banning such demonstrations.

According to its website, 40 Days For Life will hold vigils outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow from March 5 until April 13.

A law passed last year by the Scottish Parliament outlawed anti-abortion activists from protesting within 200 metres of abortion clinics.

On Wednesday, a 74-year-old woman became the first person to be arrested under the legislation.

Hardgate Road, just outside the hospital, had been a frequent target for anti-abortion protesters before the Safe Access Zones Act was passed by MSPs.

Despite Wednesday’s arrest, the 40 Days For Life group, which began in Texas, still has the area marked as part of its global campaign to protest against abortion, which includes hundreds of locations around the world.

Police Scotland said it would respond proportionately to any protests outside abortion clinics in Scotland.

Gillian Mackay MSP, who brought forward the buffer zones legislation, warned the group against further demonstrations.

She said: “The protests that have taken place outside Queen Elizabeth and other hospitals have been utterly shameful and have no place in a modern or progressive Scotland.

“That is why I introduced my Act, and why they are now illegal.

“These zones were introduced to stop the intimidation and obstruction of people accessing abortion services, including the shameful scenes of protest groups waving graphic banners and in some cases using megaphones and loudspeakers to abuse service users and staff.

“We know the awful impact that these protests have had. Some of the testimonies from women who have had to endure them have been heartbreaking.”

The development comes days after US Vice-President JD Vance criticised Scotland’s buffer zones.