Position on abortion Mason opposes the expansion of abortion provision in Scotland. In September 2019, he tabled a motion called "Both Lives Matter", which called for abortion to be restricted. In October 2021, Mason received cross-party criticism for attending an anti-abortion protest outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, for claiming that abortion services were rarely 'vital' and alleging that some women are 'coerced' into having abortions. In September 2022 it was reported that Mason was disciplined by the SNP for defending the anti-abortion protests and "causing distress and trauma to women in the way he expressed his views on abortion rights" In May 2022, Mason tweeted that abortion clinics "push abortions without laying out the pros and cons". In June 2022, Mason told a constituent that he was "pretty positive" about the overruling of
Roe v. Wade and the end of US-wide abortion rights. In response Scottish Government Minister for Women's Health, Maree Todd MSP wrote, "For the avoidance of doubt: There is nothing positive about the recent US court ruling. Abortion has been legal in Scotland for over 50 years." And Scottish Labour Women’s Health spokesperson, Carol Mochan, said: “It is sickening to see an SNP MSP gloating as millions of women losing access to vital healthcare." Also, in June 2022, Mason described abortion clinics as "conveyor belts". In March 2023, Mason was accused of 'hijacking' plans for a Scottish baby loss memorial book to further his anti-abortion agenda. He had tabled a motion in parliament welcoming the proposal but called for "more equality for all unborn babies in the future” and compared miscarriage and premature death to abortion. Labour's
Monica Lennon said Mr Mason was trying to "undermine abortion rights." Lennon said “Anti-choice campaigners will take every opportunity to undermine abortion rights, and this parliamentary motion from the SNP’s John Mason is the latest example. In April 2023, Mason was spotted at an
SPUC anti-abortion protest in Edinburgh. Lucy Grieve, co-founder of
Back Off Scotland said it was “completely inappropriate” that Mason retains the SNP party whip. Mason was interviewed by SPUC at the protest and appeared to admit to having attended another anti-abortion protest in Glasgow "I would have to say I also visited outside the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, I was at the pro-life vigil during the 40 days, and yet again, very quiet, very peaceful. So the idea that we need legislation to restrict demonstrations like this or vigils like this is just absolute nonsense". The legislation Mason was referring to was
Gillian Mackay's private members bill to introduce safe access zones around hospitals and clinics providing abortion services.
Comments on LGBT issues During the debate on
same-sex marriage in Scotland, Mason was widely condemned for raising a motion stating that "while some in society approve of same-sex sexual relationships, others do not agree with them" and that no person or organisation should be forced to be involved or to approve of same-sex marriage. In February 2013, he wrote that he did not believe same-sex couples should have sex, on the grounds that, "the Bible is the word of God and its teachings are God’s direction as to how I should live my life. The Bible’s teaching is that a follower of Jesus should not have a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex.” In 2020 Mason returned to the question of gay sex, informing the Scottish Parliament whilst debating the Hate Crime Bill that the legislation would mean, "[Green party co-leader] Patrick Harvie and I can continue to debate who should or should not have sex with whom... That is a sign of a healthy society and a healthy democracy." Mason was criticised for his "flippant tone".
Trivialisation of sexual abuse In January 2017, he tweeted in the context of a second independence referendum that "Girls don't always say yes first time", leading to criticism that his comments were sexist and trivialised "rape culture" by
Scottish Labour leader
Kezia Dugdale, the
Scottish Conservatives and the President of
NUS Scotland, Vonnie Sandlan. Mason defended his comment as innocent and reflected the fact that "asking a girl for a relationship or to dinner, they don't always say yes the first time." In May 2018, Mason was criticised for comparing the
child sexual abuse by former
Celtic Boys Club employees to tax avoidance schemes. Mason defended his comments.
Trivialisation of disabilities Also in May 2018, Mason was contacted by a wheelchair user with concerns about the lack of accessibility to Celtic football club's stadium. Mason suggested that the fan support another team, a comment described as "outrageous" by Labour MSP James Kelly.
Comments on the IRA In February 2017, The
First Minister of Scotland,
Nicola Sturgeon apologised to the families of three Scottish IRA murder victims after Mason had claimed members of the terrorist organisation could be considered freedom fighters. Mason apologised for his comments after a meeting with the SNP's Scottish Parliament chief whip
Bill Kidd.
Actions during COVID-19 pandemic In March 2020, he came under criticism for refusing to follow
Scottish Government advice and keeping his parliamentary office open to the public during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Fergus Mutch, a former SNP press officer, said of the controversy, "When I ran the SNP press office, I often felt I was defending the indefensible with John Mason. In the past, however, he's only brought the party into disrepute. This time he's risking lives. Typically stubborn and deeply arrogant.”
Support for Young Earth creationism In January 2015 he spoke in parliament in favour of teaching school children
young Earth creationism, claiming that it cannot be "disproved by science".
Israel Mason is a member of the cross-party group Building Bridges with Israel. He is one of only three non-Conservative MSP members, alongside his former SNP colleague
Fergus Ewing and Labour's
Paul O'Kane. In August 2024, Mason had the SNP whip suspended after claiming that if Israel wanted to commit genocide in the wake of
October 7th, it would have killed ten times as many civilians. A spokesperson for the SNP said, "To flippantly dismiss the death of more than 40,000 Palestinians is completely unacceptable. There can be no room in the SNP for this kind of intolerance." On 13 October 2024, it was announced that Mason had been expelled from the SNP. He was given 21 days to appeal, but later stated that he would sit as an independent until the next election before stepping down as an MSP.
Other In February 2016, he publicly asked "How is national debt different from national deficit?" on Twitter, prompting
The Spectator to say that he "appears to lack a basic understanding of finance". In June 2017 Mason tweeted that, “learning times tables and spelling [were] stronger in my day but we have moved on”. He also wrote that, “Of course, reading and writing are very important. But if someone is a good surgeon and cannot spell, is that a problem?” and “What level of literacy is needed to have an IT career?” During a session of First Minister's Questions, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson asked Nicola Sturgeon whether she agreed with Mason; the First Minister declined to endorse his comments. In 2021, amid reports of a cleansing and vermin crisis in Glasgow, Labour MSP
Pam Duncan-Glancy told Holyrood that there were even rats in her flat. Mason heckled her that, "There are rats in every street." In October 2022, Mason was criticised by Labour MSP
Paul Sweeney for his "insulting" response to a Glasgow-based homeless charity. Homeless Project Scotland had contacted Mason among several politicians looking for support for a safe indoor space to aid them during the winter months, Mason instead criticised the charity’s finances and asked them to "rent a building" instead of seeking assistance from local government, the charity accused Mason of continuing to "blast our charity" and claimed Mason had never responded to requests to visit them. ==Personal life==