Six in ten women who have had an abortion in the UK say that the cost of childcare influenced their decision, according to a new survey.
The charity ‘Pregnant then screwed’ surveyed 1,630 women who had had an abortion in the last five years. According to the charity, over 60% said that the cost of childcare influenced their decision to have an an abortion. In particular, 17.4% said that the cost of childcare was their main reason for having an abortion.
Protection from redundancy
Last month, the Government gave provisional backing to a new Private Members Bill that intends to extend the period in which pregnant women and workers returning from parental leave are protected from redundancy.
Labour MP for Barnsley Central, Dan Jarvis, was drawn in second place in the House of Commons ballot for Private Members Bills, which means his Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Bill will be debated in parliament.
At the same time, SNP MP Stuart McDonald’s Neonatal Leave and Pay Bill was also selected. The Bill intends to establish extended paid leave for parents of premature and sick babies so they are not forced to return to work due to financial constraints.
Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson said: “The extent to which our society discourages women from continuing with their pregnancies is saddening”.
“While the UK’s two largest abortion providers publicly say they lament that financial constraints are putting pressure on women to have abortions, they, unlike pro-life support services available around the country, provide no direct practical or financial support at their clinics to help women facing financial difficulties to continue their pregnancies. Instead, both have worked to increase their market share of abortions as women face more financial pressure when they are pregnant”.
“This also comes as MSI Reproductive Choices has been accused by the Care Quality Commission of paying staff bonuses for persuading women to undergo abortions. CQC inspectors have also found evidence of a policy that saw staff utilise high-pressure sales tactics, which appeared to be used to drive abortion numbers up. This involved calling women who had decided against having an abortion to offer them another appointment. This policy was in place at all 70 MSI Reproductive Choices [previously called Marie Stopes] clinics across the UK”.
“Unsurprisingly there have been no surveys undertaken by either of the two big abortion providers to investigate whether these high-pressure sales tactics are influencing women’s abortion decisions”.
“Vulnerable women should not be seen as a revenue opportunity but sadly we know this is not the reality as abortion itself is a multi-million-pound industry. Private abortion clinics have a vested monetary interest in increasing the numbers of abortions they perform every year”.
“To make matters worse for women facing unplanned pregnancies, the abortion providers are also now working together to ban support for pregnant women that is offered by pro-life vigils outside abortion clinics throughout the country. By attempting to restrict the locations where women facing unplanned pregnancies can receive compassionate emotional and practical support, the ‘pro-choice’ lobby are removing real choice for women and revealing they’re really just pro-abortion”.
