One of the world’s largest abortion providers has sent out ‘untraceable phones’ and launched a new digital platform that will help women, including children and teens under the age of 18, to get abortions without their parents or family members knowing.
The platform, launched by international abortion giant MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes International), calls itself the “Vagina Privacy Network” and uses the tagline “so your private parts stay private”. The name is a play on ‘virtual private network’, which allows users to browse the internet anonymously.
As part of its launch, MSI Reproductive Choices partnered with Advocates for Youth to give out untraceable phones at events in a number of states that were pre-programmed with a guide on how to get abortions without parents or family members knowing.
The tips in the guide included ‘downloading a secure web browser’, messaging through encrypted software and using a ‘burner phone‘, which uses prepaid minutes and no formal contract with the communications provider.
In addition to the seven tips, the VPN also provides a complete ‘digital privacy guide’.
The scheme was launched in an apparent response to the overturning of Roe v Wade and the return of the power to make abortion law to the states.
UK teaching resources contain content on accessing abortion without parental consent
Even though the focus of the VPN campaign remains on the US, the ‘digital privacy guide’ is available to anyone with internet access and so could be used by girls in the UK. Furthermore, there are already resources in place to assist girls under 18 to acquire an abortion without parental knowledge.
England’s RSE guidance states that there are “many excellent resources available, free of charge, which schools can draw on”, specifically listing the Sexwise website as a resource for “up to date information on all aspects of sexual and reproductive health…which teachers may find helpful for their knowledge”.
The Sexwise resource outlines how to get an abortion (including late-term abortions) and teaches girls how to go about secretly having an abortion without their parents knowing.
In the same resource, students who are pregnant are encouraged to book an appointment at an abortion clinic, even if they are unsure about whether they want to have an abortion. The resource states that “Abortion is safer the earlier it takes place, so even if you’re not certain about your decision, it’s a good idea to get a referral. You’ll always be given time to make up your mind, if you need it”.
Contact details for the three largest abortion providers in the UK, all of whom received the majority of their income from performing abortions, are provided in the resource.
This includes MSI Reproductive Choices, which the Care Quality Commission accused of paying staff bonuses for encouraging women to undergo terminations.
At all 70 Marie Stopes clinics, inspectors also found evidence of a policy that saw staff utilise a high-pressure sales tactic, calling women who had decided against having an abortion to offer them another appointment. The report also stated that parents, partners or friends of pregnant women who might persuade them to think again about the termination were “seen as an inconvenience” and that “their presence was strongly discouraged”.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “This digital privacy initiative is extremely dangerous for vulnerable women and girls under the age of 18 who are being encouraged to seek abortions, in secret, without searching for help from family or friends”.
“The abortion industry cannot be trusted to replace parents to know what is in the best interests of their child”.
