Catholic leader takes stand on adverts

Vincent Nichols, the newly-designated Archbishop of Westminster, will urge Roman Catholics today to oppose new plans to allow abortion services to advertise on radio and television. 

In a clear indication that the 63-year-old is more than willing to pick political fights and tackle controversial issues when he takes over as the leader of Catholics in England and Wales next month, Archbishop Nichols is asking lay members to contest a new initiative which would relax rules on how pregnancy services and condoms can be advertised. As The Independent revealed last month, Britain's advertising watchdogs are considering allowing television ads for abortion under the biggest shake-up of regulations for 50 years. 

The Broadcasting Committee on Advertising Practice (BCAP), which covers TV and radio, and the Committee on Advertising Practice (CAP) have proposed allowing pregnancy services to advertise during prime-time television and to allow condoms to be advertised before the 9pm watershed. 

Aware that the issue will be controversial, particularly within religious communities, the watchdogs have launched a three-month consultation. 

The rule changes coincide with new government efforts to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies in Britain which, at 42 per 1,000 under-18s, has the highest rate in Europe. But Archbishop Nichols has urged Catholics to make sure they speak out against it. In his first major policy speech since the Pope designated him the new Archbishop of Westminster last week, he said: "I would appeal to Catholics to respond to the consultation and two of the principles put forward are that advertisements should be truthful and tasteful.

"I doubt that any intended adverts about abortion would be fully truthful and tell the whole truth of the effects of abortion on a woman's life." He also attacked the latest condom adverts, calling them "demeaning" because they promoted "casual sex on the street corner" and "drunken sex". 

"I do not think these things do anything to genuinely help young people to understand themselves in their own dignity and in the proper meaning of what human sexuality is about," he said.

The Catholic Church forbids the use of condoms. The adverts warn against unprotected sex by showing couples wearing clothing bearing the names of sexually transmitted infections. The NHS and prominent sexual health charities support the ads. 

Marie Stopes International, Britain's biggest independent pregnancy advisory service, has said it may consider paying for prime-time adverts and last night it criticised Archbishop Nichols' stance on abortion adverts. A spokesperson said: "Advertising condoms and pregnancy advice services could work as a tool to educate young people to be sexually responsible when they are discovering sex. Earlier advertising of condoms and pregnancy advisory services will be a step forward in meeting this aim and may contribute to lowering high rates of teenage pregnancy."

The Terrence Higgins Trust, the country's largest HIV and sexual health charity, said the Church was out of touch with young people.

"The Archbishop may not like the current condom adverts but then he's not exactly our target audience," said Lisa Power, head of policy at the trust.

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Hijacking of the abortion debate: How pro-choice campaigners are backing sex clinic TV adverts

Pro-abortion groups were last night accused of hijacking public policy so that abortion services and condoms can be advertised on television. 

It was revealed yesterday that watchdogs plan to allow the promotion of abortion clinics and condoms before the 9pm watershed. 

The review was launched in response to a request from the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, or IAG, set up by the Government in 2003. 

The group specifically called for greater freedom to advertise condoms on television. 
But the quango is also packed with supporters of abortion clinics. 

Campaigners say it does not contain a single representative from groups who support traditional family units. 

Yesterday, a number of the IAG's key members lined up to support the liberalisation of the advertising of abortion services and condoms. 

'The group does not contain a single representative from any organisation that promotes the traditional family based on marriage. 

'Nor are any of its members known for their support of education programmes aimed at encouraging young people to save sex for marriage. The fact that the group's members represent such a narrow spectrum of opinion raises questions about its true independence.' 

They included Julie Bentley, who is chief executive of the Family Planning Association, Ann Furedi of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, and Simon Blake, of the Brook sexual health advice service. 

Norman Wells of the campaign group Family Education Trust said pro-abortionists on the IAG and beyond were attempting to force through their own agenda. 

'Given that the IAG is formed of individuals and representatives of organisations wedded to the idea that the answer to high teenage conception rates is more sex education and easier availability of contraception and abortion, it is concerning to see it exercising a disproportionate influence on public policy,' he said.

Advocates of advertising liberalisation also face opposition from church leaders and Tory MPs. 

Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said: 'This advertising would fly in the face of all the assurances given when abortion was legalised that it would be for extreme and exceptional cases only.'

Tory MP Anne Widdecombe said allowing TV advertising suggests 'abortion is just like any other consumer product'. She added: 'We've never had such a high rate of teenage pregnancy and we also have never had so much sex education and talking about freely available contraception.' 

At least eight of the IAG's 27 members, who are nominated by ministers, are involved in proabortion groups or have worked in NHS regimes providing abortions. 

The chairman is the president of the pro-abortion Family Planning Association, Baroness Joyce Gould. 

Four others have ties to the same group. Three members are linked to Brook, a charity providing sexual health advice to teenagers. 

Others have ties to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which provides a quarter of all abortions in England and Wales. 

IAG has called for tests on sex for children as young as five, and compulsory education on contraception and sexual infections such as chlamydia from the age of 11. 

Members also appeared before MPs to press them to allow women to have abortions at home. 

The chief executive of the Family Planning Association and IAG member Julie Bentley yesterday backed the TV advertising of condoms and abortion services. She said she wanted to see a 'clear message that condoms are important in protecting our health'. 

On abortion services, she said: 'It is crucial that women who are pregnant have access to high quality accurate information about all of their choices. Ideally from a range of different, reliable sources.'  continues here

Coroner hits out at abortion clinic after 15-year-old dies following termination

A 15-year-old girl died five days after having an abortion because of a blunder which meant she never received antibiotics prescribed to her, an inquest has heard.

Schoolgirl Alesha Thomas probably would have survived had she taken the medication to combat infection, but tragically she was struck down by toxic shock syndrome.

A coroner slammed the sexual health organisation Marie Stopes International for procedural failings behind the tragedy and it could face legal action.

Due to inefficient practices at the clinic in Leeds it was not uncommon for patients to leave without being given the medication prescribed to them by the doctor, the inquest heard.

When Alesha was taken ill after the termination, nurses at the clinic failed to check her computer file that would have shown the antibiotics had never been handed out.

The harrowing story of the teenage schoolgirl's sudden death in July 2007 was detailed at Huddersfield Coroner's Court.

Alesha was a 'healthy and fit adolescent' from Huddersfield who confided in her mother Rose Bent that she was pregnant in June 2007.

After discussing her options, they chose an abortion at the Marie Stopes International clinic in Leeds.

Two weeks later, when Alesha was just over 15 weeks into the pregnancy, the 25-minute procedure was performed successfully by gynaecologist Dr Peter Paku.

One hour and 20 minutes after the operation the doctor issued an electronic prescription for Alesha to be given a course of the antibiotic Doxycycline, to prevent infection.

The doctor did not realise that Alesha had been discharged 45 minutes after the operation and was no longer at the clinic.

The inquest heard that Marie Stopes had no system in place which meant nurses would re-check a patient's notes after being discharged to make sure all instructions had been followed.

Dr Paku said patients leaving without their medication was a regular problem at the family planning clinic.

'It has happened many times. Prescriptions would be forgotten many times and we would have to make arrangements,' he said.

It was the first case he had heard in the UK of someone had contracting the infection after an abortion.

Three days after the operation, Alesha's concerned mother called the clinic's helpline, a call centre based in Manchester, and told a nurse that her daughter was suffering stomach cramps and heavy bleeding.

The nurse advised she give her daughter Ibuprofen.

She spoke to a nurse at the clinic again, after she was told her daughter's tests for the sexually transmitted disease Chlamydia had come back positive and was advised to ring her GP for antibiotics.

It does not appear that any of the nurses ever referred to Alesha's online notes - which would have highlighted the earlier failure to take antibiotics.

Just five days after the operation Alesha became extremely ill. 

She couldn't move her legs, had glazed eyes and was unresponsive. She was rushed to hospital but suffered a heart attack on the way to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary on July 11.

The rare bacterial infection toxic shock syndrome was responsible for the heart attack, the inquest was told. 

Recording a narrative verdict Coroner Roger Whittaker said if she had taken the drugs prescribed to her 'the balance of probability suggests she would have been more able to survive than die, which makes it all the more hard for her family in these circumstances.'

The coroner told the court he would be writing to Marie Stopes International in the hope that they might develop better systems to prevent patients leaving without their medication.

He said: 'There was no system in place for the review after the visiting clinician had left and I believe there should have been.'

The case will also be reported to the Lord Chancellor's Department.

A spokesman for Marie Stopes International said all its staff were 'deeply saddened' by Alesha's tragic death.

'Our first concern is always the support and care of our clients and we aim to ensure that they receive the highest possible standards of advice, treatment and aftercare.  

'We will look closely at the Coroner’s comments and take further steps, as appropriate, to address any areas of concern that have been identified.'

More than 100,000 people go to the organisation's network of clinics every year for advice and care. Under current advertised prices the abortion procedure would have cost around £700.  continues here

Abortion clinics to advertise on television for the first time

Abortion clinics could be allowed to advertise on television for the first time under new proposal

Condom adverts could also be shown before the 9pm watershed. The Advertising Standards Agency is launching a 12 week consultation to gauge reaction to the plans. 

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The watchdog claims it is responding to Government calls for action to combat rising teenage pregnancy.

It would be the first time that pro and anti abortion services will be allowed to advertise.

However, those against abortion will be required to make clear if they do not refer women for abortion so that delays do not result in medical complications.

The move has been criticised by the church and pro-life groups.

Dr Peter Saunders, of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said: "The problem is that the Government strategy on teenage pregnancy, based on condoms, the morning-after pill and abortion, has failed. "Allowing the advertising of abortion services is not dealing with the real problem."

But the Brook Advisory Centres, which give advice on contraception and abortion, said it was a step forward for sexual health. 

The new code would see further relaxation of rules for advertising condoms, except around programmes directed at children below the age of 10.

Currently, Channel 4 is the only channel where condoms are allowed to be advertised from 7pm. 

The proposal comes in response to calls from the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, a quango, to combat Britain's teenage pregnancy rate, the highest in Europe, and sexually transmitted diseases.

From 2002 to 2006, more than 11,000 under-16s were diagnosed with gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes or genital warts despite the Government spending £300 million in an attempt to tackle the problem. 

The IAG said surveys show that young people believe television is one of the most effective ways of encouraging condom use.  continues here

Mental illness risk ‘rises 30 per cent for women who have abortions’

Women who have an abortion are three times more likely to develop a drug or alcohol addiction and 30 per cent more likely to have mental disorders compared with other women, research has revealed. 

The evidence from two studies comes as the number of women having an abortion in England and Wales exceeded 200,000 for the first time last year.

More abortions – 57,000 – were carried out on women aged 20 to 24 than any other age group. However, there were 4,400 on the under-16s.

Anxiety and drug abuse are the most common mental problems after an abortion, according to a study of 500 women published today in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Professor David Fergusson, who led the research, said the findings had ‘important implications’ – because more than 90 per cent of British abortions were authorised on the grounds that keeping an unwanted baby would cause the mother mental health problems.

He said: ‘This evidence clearly poses a challenge to the use of psychiatric reasons to justify abortion. There is nothing in this study that would suggest that the termination of pregnancy was associated with lower risks of mental health problems than birth.

‘For some women, abortion is likely to be a stressful and traumatic life event which places them at a modestly increased risk of a range of common mental health problems.’ 


But his team at the University of Otago, New Zealand, said the overall effect of abortion on mental health was small. They estimate it is responsible for between 1.5 per cent and 5.5 per cent of disorders.

A second study shows that women who lose a baby by the age of 21 – either through an abortion or a miscarriage – are three times more likely to develop a drug or alcohol problem than others.

Researcher Kaeleen Dingle, of the University of Queensland, Australia, said: ‘Abortion and miscarriage are stressful life events that have been shown to lead to anxiety, sadness and grief and, for some women, serious depression and substance use disorders.’  continues here

Scrap qualifying conditions for abortion and let women decide, say academics

Britain’s 40-year-old abortion law flouts the legal principles that underpin modern medical practice, 85 academic lawyers and ethicists say today.

In a letter to The Times they urge MPs to remove the “qualifying conditions” on abortion that require women to obtain signed permission from two doctors, calling it “an anomaly”.

Modern medical practice makes clear that individuals are entitled to make their own healthcare decisions, even if they appear wrong or irrational to others, they say.

The courts have upheld that a woman can refuse a Caesarean section even if it is essential to save her life or that of her unborn baby.

The intervention of the academics comes as MPs prepare to vote on a series of amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill on October 29 that could change where abortions are performed and by whom.

Although individual academic lawyers and ethicists have commented on the issue of abortion before, never have so many settled on a single view or called on MPs to act. That could be influential on wavering MPs in the run-up to next Wednesday’s vote.

MPs have tabled numerous amendments for debate, including reducing to one the number of doctors required to give permission for an abortion. Another seeks to broaden the range of premises and healthcare staff who can perform early abortions, which use drugs and do not require surgery. They can currently be carried out only in clinics licensed by the Health Secretary and by doctors. “Pro-life” MPs have tabled amendments to restrict the grounds for late abortion because of foetal impairment, and for a compulsory cooling-off period before a termination for counselling.

In their letter the academics say that the current restrictions on where abortions are carried out are no longer justified given medical advances, and also suggest that trained nurses should be allowed to carry out the procedure.

The licensed premises rule, and the requirement that only a doctor can perform a termination, is not dictated by patient safety and good medical practice and should also be reformed, they say.

MPs had been due to debate these issues in July as part of the later stages of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.

In May, during earlier stages of the same Bill, they voted to keep the upper time limit on abortions at 24 weeks by a comfortable majority.

The views of medical experts were thought to have been influential on MPs in that vote. The British Medical Association, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Nurses and the British Association of Perinatal Medicine all said that there had been no improvement in viability of babies born at 22 and 23 weeks and called for the limit to remain at 24 weeks. continues here