A chara, – Tracey McNeill, director of Marie Stopes International, rubbishes the claim by an ex-employee that they perform “illegal” abortions in clinics all over the world and states that “in the UK we have a 100 per cent compliance record with those regulating our centres” (Home News, October 15th).
However, earlier this year, inspections of more than 250 public and private abortion clinics by the British regulator, the Care Quality Commission, found that more than one in five were not, in fact, compliant with the regulations.
The spot checks not only found forms had been pre-signed to authorise abortions before any assessment had taken place, but there were also revelations that sex-selective abortions were happening, in direct contravention of the so-called restrictive abortion regime that operates there.
The recent positive coverage of the Belfast clinic’s opening given by The Irish Times has bordered on free advertising. I hope in the interest of balance that your newspaper will be as diligent in investigating Ms McNeill’s latest dubious claims. – Is mise,