Opinion Piece on Marie Stopes
12 October 2012
The following opinion piece from TUV leader Jim Allister appeared in today’s Daily Mirror:The news that Marie Stopes is planning to open a centre in Northern Ireland in which it boasts it will provide abortions privately will appal many people in our Province.
If, as Marie Stopes claim, their centre will operate within the law there is no need for it. Official Department of Health figures show that the average number of lawful terminations in Northern Ireland is 43 per year.
Thus in those rare circumstances where the continuation of the pregnancy could result in a threat to the wellbeing of the mother abortion is available, free of charge, under the NHS. Marie Stopes claims that they will be offering the same service but will expect people to pay for it.
The question is – why would someone pay for a service which they would receive for free?
There are other questions which Marie Stopes has to address. Will they be publishing the figures detailing the number of terminations which they carry out? Will they be subject to external monitoring or will people be expected to accept the word of this unashamedly pro-abortion group that it is operating within the confines of the law? Will they adhere to the policy change which is to be brought in shortly by the Health Minister requiring that the reason for any termination is recorded?
Many people will, I suspect, share my belief that this move is not about opening a sexual health clinic but rather about introducing abortion on demand by the back door.
The position of Dawn Purvis is a matter of public record. She has long campaigned for the extension of the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland.
Similarly, Marie Stopes provides abortion services in Great Britain where abortion on demand is available. Back in 2010 they went so far as to produce a TV advert promoting their services which was screened on Channel 4 – in spite of widespread opposition and disgust.
Of course Marie Stopes and Ms Purvis argue that they are only “pro-choice”. The reality is that the unborn child has no choice in the matter.
In response to a question tabled by Cross-Bench peer Lord Alton of Liverpool it was recently revealed that an increasable 6.4 million unborn children have been aborted in England and Wales between 1968 and 2011. Just 0.376% of those abortions were carried out to save the life of the mother.
There is no appetite for the Abortion Act – which Marie Stopes happily operates - to be introduced in Northern Ireland and even if there was, the most avid pro-abortionist would have to admit that Ronald Reagan was probably telling the truth when he said: "I've noticed everyone who is for abortion has already been born."
