An 'independent' clinic in London has been wrongly warning women that having an abortion can make them more likely to sexually abuse a child they may have in later life.
An investigation by the Telegraph newspaper revealed that women entering the clinic were also told that abortions could foster unusual side affects, including tremors, nightmares and seizures, while suggesting that the procedure could leave them unable to carry future pregnancies to full term.
In secretly-filmed footage taken by an undercover Telegraph reporter last month, an advisor, who gave her name as Annabel, trotted out a series of unfounded warnings, most shockingly that abortions lead to "an increased statistical likelihood of child abuse".
The advisor reasoned: "When you have a child you have natural maternal instincts towards the child and there are also natural barriers that surround the child that you don't cross. In order to have an abortion you have to break through both those sets of barriers, basically, and some people can find it hard to put them back in place."
The reporter responded by asking: "So as a woman I would be more likely to abuse the child?"
Annabel replied: "I'm not saying it's many people. Obviously it's a low percentage but there seems to be a correlation between the two."
The reporters sought to clarify Annabel’s statement by asking, "what kind of abuse, like sexual abuse?"
Annabel responded: "Yes... I think because it can really confuse relationships with children."
The reporter was also told that they could be at more risk of sterility and that infection was "quite common".
The film was shot at the Central London Crisis Pregnancy Centre (CLCPC) near Oxford Street in the capital. The clinic did not respond to repeated requests by the Telegraph for comment on the story, however the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists told the newspaper that the notion that abortion could make women more likely to sexually abuse a child was scientifically spurious, while adding that the risk of being left infertile was "very, very low".
More from the Press Association:
Crisis pregnancy centres (CPCs) are a group of unregulated outlets across the UK that promote themselves as confidential advisory services for women trying to deal with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. The Telegraph launched its investigation into CPCs after receiving information that specific centres were giving women inaccurate medical information to women considering a termination.