An abortion provider, previously caught breaking the law, has opened a number of new clinics.
The National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service (NUPAS), an independent abortion provider, has announced the opening of at least three new clinics this year in Battersea, Stafford and Leeds, despite scandals in which doctors who worked for the company were found to be pre-signing abortion forms.
Under the Abortion Act 1967, two doctors must approve an abortion in good faith. However, in 2012, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found evidence that doctors would pre-sign blank abortion consent forms.
Clinic responsible for the ending of 8,313 lives turned over almost £7 million in 2021
The latest statistics available for the numbers of abortions performed at individual clinics show that there were 8,313 abortions performed in 2019 at clinics owned by the company National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service Limited. This included NUPAS branded clinics along with Bolton Pregnancy Advisory Service and Blackpool Pregnancy Advisory Service. The largest number of abortions performed, 2,874, were performed at their Manchester clinic.
The company is headed up by Chief Exective Officer Aaron Flaherty, who is a director, along with Kathryn Devonport.
Company accounts for National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service Limited show that it made £6,738,976 of revenue in 2021.
Earlier this year, NUPAS announced that it was “delighted” that ‘DIY’ abortions, which initially were introduced as part of the Government’s pandemic response, were to be made a permanent feature of the law. ‘DIY’ home abortions without a doctor’s supervision accounted for 52% of all abortions in 2021. A study suggested that between April 2020 and September 2021, more than 10,000 women had to receive hospital treatment following the use of medical abortion pills in England alone.
Abortion statistics released by the Department for Health and Social Care earlier this year show the highest number of abortions ever recorded in England and Wales, with 214,869 taking place in 2021, an increase of 4,009 from 2020.
This significant rise in abortions has accompanied the first full year that ‘DIY’ home abortion services have been operating in England and Wales. Since ‘DIY’ home abortions were introduced, a number of significant problems have arisen.
Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson said: “This abortion clinic chain profited from the ending of 8,313 lives through abortion in 2019. In 2021, the company made almost seven million pounds of revenue from ending thousands of lives. NUPAS has shown in the past that it has little regard for the law and is now looking to expand the number of lives that it profits from ending through abortion”.
