By Sarah Mac Donald - 25 October, 2017
A new report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in Britain has revealed that staff at Marie Stopes-run clinics were offered bonuses to contact women who had changed their minds about having an abortion to get them to reconsider.
The health service watchdog in Britain reports one member of staff at a clinic describing it as being like a “cattle market” with a “very target driven culture”.
The CQC report also reveals that family members or friends seen as likely to encourage a woman to reconsider going through with the abortion were “seen as an inconvenience” and their presence was strongly discouraged by staff at Marie Stopes.
The revelation comes in the week that the Bishops of England, Wales and Scotland, published a statement on abortion to make the 50th anniversary of the 1967 UK Abortion Act.
In 2015 alone, 185,824 abortions took place in England and Wales, while in Scotland, in the same year, there were 12,134 abortions.
Responding to the CQC report, Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro Life Campaign said, “In recent months, there have been several extremely serious scandals involving abortion providers, including the devastating documented revelations about botched abortions at Marie Stopes and other abortion clinics in England.”
“The latest scandal involving Marie Stopes employees being offered bonuses to encourage women to go through with abortions makes a nonsense of the ‘pro-choice’ claim that abortion providers trust women and offer them real choices. The truth is the abortion industry is highly competitive and largely money driven.”
She continued, “There has been evidence for years that abortion clinics operate like conveyor belts, trying to hit daily targets for the number of abortions performed.”
The PLC spokeswoman also claimed that efforts were being made in Ireland to suppress stories about the dark side of abortion in order to pave the way for a repeal of the 8thAmendment.
“Those in politics and the media who are facilitating this completely skewed debate have no right claiming to be champions for women. If they had the slightest concern for the welfare of women, they wouldn’t be so zealously committed to covering up the horror stories and human rights abuses that come with legalised abortion,” she said.
“The fact that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment has shown absolutely no curiosity about what abortion has actually meant in places like Britain is simply not acceptable,” Dr Cullen said on Tuesday.
In their statement, the Bishops of England, Wales and Scotland described every abortion as a tragedy.
“Few consider that abortion is the desirable or best solution to a pregnancy, which may be challenging on account of many different factors. The complex set of conditions in which a woman finds herself pregnant and may consider having an abortion may limit the exercise of freedom and diminish moral culpability. When abortion is the choice made by a woman, the unfailing mercy of God and the promise of forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation are always available.”
The bishops said that over the past fifty years they have spoken consistently in favour of the intrinsic value of human life and of the good of the child in the womb and the good of the mother.
“The lives of both are precious, valued and to be protected. This position differs considerably from that of those who hold that the freedom to choose in the question of abortion must focus on the good of one of these lives alone.”
They said the 50th anniversary of the Abortion Act also provided an opportunity to reflect on the truth about the dignity of human life and the vitality and potentiality of the child in the womb.
“A particular contradiction occurs in relation to the legislation permitting the abortion of an unborn child diagnosed with a disability. The law of the United Kingdom permits the abortion of a child with disability up to birth and stands in stark contrast to the protection and respect shown to people who experience disabilities after they are born.”
They noted that the past fifty years have witnessed a deepening of society’s respect and understanding for people with disability, and legislation has helped disabled people achieve fulfilling lives.
“The witness of those who compete in the Paralympic games shines out as a way in which people with disability excel and compete, using their gifts to the full. We hope that greater reflection and consistency in the approach to unborn children with disabilities will lead to a change in understanding, with greater protection provided through new legislation.”
They paid tribute to those who dedicate their lives to serving in antenatal and special care baby units for their commitment to nurturing human life in its early stages, while expressing concern over the erosion of respect for those with conscientious objections against abortion.
“This has affected members of the medical and healthcare professions who face increasing difficulty in being able to combine their dedicated professional work with their personal conviction. So much talent is being lost to important professional areas.”
“Personal conscience is inviolable and no-one should be forced to act against their properly formed conscience in these matters. This is something which needs greater debate in our society.”
