While pro-choice campaigners welcomed the move, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) Scotland fiercely opposed the policy change and is reportedly consulting lawyers.

Chief executive John Deighan branded the decision “highly irresponsible” and claimed ministers may have “recklessly exceeded their powers”.

Christian charity CARE also condemned the “significant policy shift” and said it raised huge concerns for women’s safety and mental wellbeing.

Nola Leach, CARE’s Chief Executive said in a statement: “”For the Scottish Government to make a policy change of this magnitude without any parliamentary scrutiny or public consultation is deeply concerning.”

“Encouraging women to have abortions at home is extremely worrying. There will be no health care support on hand should something go wrong.”

“The Scottish Government should do much more to provide real alternatives to abortion for those facing crisis pregnancies. It should properly fund those organisations which are seeking to provide such alternatives for women.”

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, recently confirmed she had written to all health boards north of the border to say that the drug misoprostol could be taken by women outside a clinical setting.

Dr Calderwood said it was ”significant progress” that women in Scotland who are up to nine weeks pregnant could take the second dose of the drug at home if they…

Statistics indicate that Bank holiday weekends can be high-risk periods on the roads, with more people travelling than usual.

Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe led a ‘Blessing of the Roads’ ceremony in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Ennis, on Sunday afternoon after mass.

He told Premier why the prayers are so important.

He explained: “Bank holiday weekends statistically the worse on the road.

“This year in Ireland already, 125 people have been killed on the road. Last year 160 around the same time were killed.”

The parishes in the Diocese of Killaloe were invited to say a simple special prayer to bless the roads, which Bishop Monahan said helps raise awareness.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) are reminding people to be safe and be seen, particularly as the clocks went back an hour at 2am on Sunday.

Bishop Monahan told Premier the “special, simple prayer” would be said in the presence of hundreds of members and why he has kept up with the tradition of praying for the roads during this time over the years.

He said: “As priests, as clergy, as church people, we’re so aware of when we frequently get called out to an accident and also the aftermath that the terrible carnage causes and the bereavement that is there and the sadness.

“It’s the same with the emergency services … it causes terrible suffering and pain amongst families, so anything that can alleviate that by way of alerting or praying…