Plans to offer women independent counselling before they commit to having an abortion are to be announced by the Department of Health.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: “We are currently developing proposals to introduce independent counselling for women seeking abortion. These proposals are focused on improving women’s health and wellbeing. Final decisions on who should provide this counselling have not yet been made.”
The move comes ahead of a commons vote next week on an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill that would ensure that women considering an abortion would be guaranteed access to independent information from someone who had no vested financial interest in the outcome of their decision.
The amendment, laid by Nadine Dorries MP and Rt Hon. Frank Field MP, would introduce a mandatory obligation on abortion clinics to offer women access to independent counselling, to be run on separate premises by a group which does not itself carry out abortions.
Abortion providers Marie Stopes and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service currently offer women counselling before they make a decision on termination. Mrs Dorries believes that it is vital to remove the conflict of financial ‘vested interest’ that exists for abortion providers in the procedure going ahead. Outsourcing abortions to private providers is worth an estimated £60m. Women would instead be offered free access to independent counsellors.
The amendment is being backed by the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists, the UK's leading professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists, as well as the Right to Know Campaign.
The independent counselling suggested by the amendment will not be mandatory. It has been suggested the change could result in up to 60,000 fewer abortions each year in Britain.
Frank Field said: “I’m anxious that taxpayers’ money is used so that people can have a choice — we are paying for independent counselling and that’s what should be provided.”
In an earlier Press Release, Nadine Dorries MP, said:
“When vulnerable women in a crisis pregnancy situation consult a GP about an abortion many are referred on to a private clinic for counselling, the very same clinic paid to carry out terminations. Women are being denied independent information upon which to base such a huge decision. Advice, support and counselling should be available to the woman via her GP practice, in her own community, before she steps over the abortion clinic threshold.
“Our amendment aims to ensure that all women seeking an abortion will be offered independent advice, separate from a private provider which would carry out an abortion.”
Andrea Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre, said:
“It is vital that women get independent counselling and are more fully informed of the risks of having an abortion. We would encourage people to support the Right to Know Campaign in order to lend their voice to this issue. Please visit the Right to Know Campaign website which will help you get in touch will your MP to support this amendment.”
Sources
Daily Telegraph: Abortion is about money as well as morals
Daily Mail: MPs backing move 'to cut abortion toll by 60,000' in biggest shake-up for 20 years
Resources
Right to Know Report: Marketing tactics used to increase abortion pressure
Christian Concern: UK’s largest counselling body backs pre-abortion counselling amendment