Beware rogue ‘pregnancy counselling’ services

Some websites are spreading myths about the affects of abortion.

Some pregnancy counselling service websites are covertly pushing an anti-abortion agenda, the Guardian has revealed.

Many of the websites include false information, such as linking abortion to higher mortality rates, suicide and drug-taking.

Such misleading information carries an anti-abortion agenda despite many of these websites claiming to be run by independent or non-biased organisations.

And, as the Guardian’s Bridie Jabour writes, these websites can be easily found on Google, so is a pervasive, international, problem.

One example Jabour highlights offers a pamphlet supposedly ‘debunking abortion myths’ by linking abortion to ‘serious prolonged psychological trauma’, ‘significant risk of future premature births’, and increased use of drugs and alcohol.

Another openly suggests that having an abortion will make a woman consciously or unconsciously fall pregnant again within three to six months in an attempt to ‘turn back the clock’.

Yet another example site suggests that ‘pro-abortion researchers’ have a ‘blame the victim’ strategy which includes calling women who experience psychological trauma after abortion ‘whiners’ and ‘dysfunctional’ for not being ‘empowered’ by the experience.

And as a spokeswoman for Australia’s Women’s Centre for Health Matters said, “These organisations need to be upfront about their ideological alliances, so that women who turn to them know that they will not be provided with accurate information about all of their pregnancy options.”

These misleading tactics are being used by anti-choice groups in the Republic of Ireland, AbortionRights has revealed.

Over a nine-month period, the site reports, Ireland’s Crisis Pregnancy Programme, run by the country’s Health Services Executive (HSE), has received 67 complaints  about agencies trying to influence women’s decisions rather than provide objective counselling.

Women who approached these agencies for impartial advice complained about feeling distressed by the ‘counselling’ techniques used.

These rogue organisations also provide inaccurate and misleading medical information to women.

For example they link abortion to the later need for a hysterectomy, to becoming infertile, to developing cervical and breast cancer, and affecting sexual promiscuity or reducing libido.

Most worryingly, they also disguise themselves as impartial.

According to a report released by the Irish Family Planning Association, they for example list themselves under ‘family planning’ in telephone directories or advertise in a manner that women considering abortion may be drawn to.

Alison Begas, chief executive of Dublin’s Well Woman Centre, which provides non-directive pregnancy counselling, is critical of the methods used by these organisations.

“From what we hear, women are subjected to the most extraordinary tactics,” she said.

“We have heard stories of counselling sessions lasting three to four hours, the use of lurid US-produced videos and disturbing images

“None of these tactics has any place in responsible pregnancy counselling,” she continued.

“The problem is that most women don’t know where to go for advice until they actually need it.”

State-funding pregnancy counselling services have called on the Irish government to step in and regulate the activities of rogue organisations.

However, the Irish Health Services Executive only currently recommends that women visit either the Positive Options website for a list of free, state-funded crisis pregnancy services, or a non-directive organisation, but does not have any plans to introduce a regulatory licensing system for the sector.

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