Katherine O’Brien, Associate Director of Communications and Campaigns, said:
“The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children is an anti-abortion campaign group, with a history of providing scientifically inaccurate, and potentially damaging, information about a healthcare procedure that one in three women will undergo in their lifetime. They are not a provider of antenatal care, and it is deeply concerning that this group was listed in this category on an NHS website. It would be completely understandable for a woman to assume that this was a group endorsed by the NHS, or in the very least vetted in some way before being included on the site. This is a group with the primary aim of ending women’s ability to access safe, legal, NHS-funded abortion care. It is extraordinary that they were able to advertise on an NHS website.
The impact that groups like SPUC can have on vulnerable women cannot be overstated. These organisations tell women that abortion causes serious, long-term health conditions, causing significant anxiety and fear. We hope that there is a better process in place going forward so that the NHS website does not advertise ideological campaign groups under the guise of healthcare services. “
ENDS
For further information, please contact Katherine O’Brien, BPAS Associate Director of Campaigns and Communications, on katherine.o’brien@bpas.org or 07881 265276.
About BPAS
BPAS is a charity that sees over 100,000 women a year for reproductive healthcare services including pregnancy counselling, abortion care, miscarriage management and contraception at clinics across Great Britain. It supports and advocates for reproductive choice. BPAS also runs the Centre for Reproductive Research and Communication, which seeks to develop and deliver a research agenda that furthers women’s access to evidence-based reproductive healthcare, driven by an understanding of women’s perspectives and needs. You can find out more here: https://www.bpas.org/get-involved/centre-for-reproductive-research-communication/
In 2021, BPAS launched BPAS Fertility, England’s first not-for-profit fertility service, to provide ethical, evidence-based, person-centred care that supports patients. We provide a safe, high-quality, and accessible service, without profiteering from patients. Our service gives those ineligible for NHS funding an affordable option to access the care they need.
