The British Pregnancy Advisory Service has posted ‘DIY’ home abortion pills to a woman who said she wanted to terminate her pregnancy because she didn’t “want to worry about looking pregnant on the beach.”

Video footage of the incident has been released by the Christian Legal Centre as part of their nationwide undercover investigation into the ‘pills by post’ ‘service’ that is being run by UK abortion providers BPAS, Marie Stopes and NUPAS.

‘Any reason other than the sex of the baby is a valid reason to us’

In the video, a BPAS call handler can be heard telling the woman “any reason other than the sex of the baby is a valid reason” to have an abortion, but added they needed to “attach” a legal reason.

The call handler said: “It sounds to me that the individual reasons you’re giving come down to you just not being emotionally ready for a pregnancy right now.

“Any reason that you ever give is always going to be valid for you. So whether it’s physically with regards to however you look or feel, with regards to nausea, again all your travel plans, it sounds maybe like a physical, emotional time that you’re not ready for pregnancy right now.

“I don’t want to put words in your mouth. What I have to do is attach what you tell me to a legal reason.

“Any reason other than the sex of the baby is a valid reason to us, but to attach it to a legal reason, it sounds like emotionally it’s not the right time. Because it doesn’t necessarily sound like it’s financial, possibly slightly physical, it doesn’t sound maybe mentally, like you’re not ready.”

‘DIY’ home abortion pills were received at the woman’s home after the call.

Latest scandal

This is latest scandal to be exposed since the UK Government introduced ‘DIY’ home abortions on 30 March, without public consultation or parliamentary scrutiny.

Prior to the change, women seeking a termination would have to visit a clinic for an assessment from a healthcare professional – something the Government had said was an “essential safeguard” before their incredible U-turn on the issue.

Two women have died after taking ‘DIY’ home abortion pills according to a leaked “urgent email” sent by a senior chief midwife at NHS England and NHS Improvement on the “escalating risks” of ‘DIY’ home abortions.

The email leak also revealed police have opened a murder investigation into the death of a baby who they believe was born alive despite her mother taking ‘DIY’ home abortion pills. 

In addition, evidence has already emerged of putting women’s lives at significant risk by not carrying out basic checks before sending them ‘DIY’ home abortion pills.

Abortion providers have also been caught sending women abortion pills beyond the legal 10-week limit stated in the regulations.

‘This is what the abortion industry wants’

Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, said: “This is what the abortion industry wants. Abortion pills on demand, no questions asked. So it is sadly not a surprise that they are prepared to give out abortion pills for a bikini body. The life of the unborn child is worth less than a bikini selfie.

“In their world, the unborn child is inconvenient and irrelevant. The physical and emotional care of the woman also appears to be something they don’t care about.

“Abortion pills through the post is wide open to abuse and women’s lives endangered.

“The service needs to be stopped immediately and a thorough investigation needs to occur around the legality and practices of the two major abortion providers in the UK.”

‘Abortion on demand, if not yet explicitly legal, is already an open reality’

Writing for The Critic, David Scullion said: “I’ve written previously about the Government’s determination to impose on Northern Ireland abortion rules that its devolved assembly wouldn’t accept. Clearly those hoping this government will bring abortion legislation more in line with public opinion will be sorely disappointed (almost a third of people in the UK want an almost complete ban).

“It’s increasingly hard to claim with a straight face that rules need to be loosened, given the current situation after the Lockdown liberalisation. But it’s also likely that the Government will relax abortion laws rather than tightening them up. Abortion on demand, if not yet explicitly legal, is already an open reality.”

Full inquiry into ‘DIY’ home abortions announced

Last month, in a victory for pro-life campaigners, a radical amendment to the Domestic Abuse Bill that would have allowed ‘DIY’ home abortions to take place on a permanent basis for domestic abuse victims was withdrawn.

During the debate, pro-life MP Fiona Bruce MP put forward an amendment calling on the Government to conduct an “an inquiry into the safety, number, and impact of abortions carried out under the temporary coronavirus crisis provisions where the place of abortion was the woman’s home”.

The Government subsequently agreed to a full inquiry. But, Minister for Women, Victoria Atkins MP, promised that the current temporary policy of allowing ‘DIY’ home abortions would continue “until [a] public consultation concludes and a decision has been made”.

Fiona Bruce told CNA: “It is to be hoped, and we need to ensure, that this review — consultation — will properly and fairly highlight safety concerns around the taking of ‘at-home abortion pills’ which have been highlighted in recent press reports.”

‘Inherently dangerous’

A spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson said: “Ever since the UK Government permitted ‘DIY’ home abortions, stories of illegal late-term abortions and safety abuses have come to light.

“We, along with other pro-life campaigners, warned it was only a matter of time before a woman died as a result of a ‘DIY’ home abortion. Tragically, that is now the case.

“These cases and the thirteen ongoing investigations are likely only the tip of the iceberg, given the date of the leaked email.

“Abortion providers, such as BPAS and Marie Stopes International, who want to keep ‘DIY’ home abortions on a permanent basis, are unlikely to want to reveal how many complications or serious incidents have arisen as a result of their ‘services’.

“There are also likely many more incidents that abortion providers don’t know about as the majority of women are likely to not come back and tell an abortion provider that they have broken the law using their service or weren’t even aware how far along they were, given they have not had an ultrasound.

“These ‘DIY’ home abortion schemes, which are inherently dangerous and show no concern for babies or vulnerable pregnant women, should be suspended immediately.”Right To Life UK has launched an online tool allowing UK residents to contact their local MPs and call for an immediate end to ‘DIY’ home abortions following the deaths of two women.

This post first appeared at Right to Like UK and is republished here under the Creative Commons license.