Report into abortions scandal was delayed 'to spare Government embarrassment'

The Telegraph
Sep. 28, 2005

A report into the scandal of British women with healthy late-term pregnancies being helped to get illegal abortions was delayed until after the general election to avoid political embarrassment to the Government, it has been claimed.

The Chief Medical Officer's report into the British Pregnancy Advisory Service assisting women to go to Spain for abortions was sparked by an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph last October and was finally published last week.

It criticises the BPAS for the "extremely inappropriate" handling of telephone calls from a pregnant undercover reporter who inquired about obtaining an abortion after the 24-week legal cut-off. The charity BPAS is the largest provider of abortions for the National Health Service and receives £12 million of taxpayer's money each year. It repeatedly advised the undercover reporter to attend the Ginemedex clinic in Barcelona, where staff later offered to perform abortions at up to 30 weeks on healthy pregnancies, contrary to both Spanish and British law, and to lie on the paperwork to cover them up statistically.

The BPAS has now been ordered by the Department of Health to review its practices and protocols regarding women wanting late-term abortions. But the report into the scandal was deliberately stopped from being published in the run-up to the general election, it is claimed, to avoid having the "abortion issue" highlighted publicly - to the surprise of police officers who had become involved in the investigation.

It has emerged that police officers from Warwickshire were invited last spring by Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer who authorised the report, to visit his office and view his findings.

They arrived to be told that, although the report had been completed, its publication would be delayed "until after the general election" so they would not be able to see.

One of those present said: "The policemen looked rather surprised and you really can't blame them because they had come a long way at the invitation of Sir Liam only to be told that they could not view the report after all.

''It was all rather awkward. A sudden about-turn had been made and the general election was mentioned as the reason."

It has also emerged that the published version of the report may have been watered down.

In an e-mail obtained by this newspaper, Det Chief Insp Adrian Pearson, who is leading the Warwickshire inquiry, wrote to Ann Furedi, the chief executive of BPAS, on July 26: "At the meeting with Sir Liam, all those weeks back, we were assured that the report was with the minister already. However today, I was told that the report was still being 'tweaked' and had never reached the minister."

Last night the Conservative MP for Monmouth, David Davies, who has asked questions in the House of Commons about why the report had failed to materialise before now, said: "I am extremely suspicious about the timing of the release last week since I have been told in parliamentary questions that the report was ready since last May.

"The Government has sat on it, presumably for political reasons, and then waited until the public's attention was distracted by events elsewhere, such as the terrible happenings in America. It is another case of waiting for a good day to bury bad news."

Mr Davies also drew attention to the fact that last week's report failed to address the issue at the heart of The Sunday Telegraph's investigation, namely that the abortions which British women were being sent to the clinic for are illegal under Spanish law.

Instead, the report stressed that the BPAS itself had not broken British laws - an accusation never made in the first place. In the process, it seemed to exonerate the charity of the real issue, namely directing vulnerable women to Spain for illegal abortions.

Spanish abortion law is actually stricter than in Britain. After 22 weeks, a pregnancy can only be terminated if the mother's health is at serious risk, while in Britain the same stipulation applies after 24 weeks. Abortions can also be performed in Britain after 24 weeks if the foetus is believed to be malformed.

Mr Davies added: "Since any woman with a serious health problem can readily get an abortion after 24 weeks on the NHS there is no reason to direct anyone in that position to a private clinic in Spain."

In his report Sir Liam also takes at face value figures supplied by the clinic which suggest that the scandal was non-existent, despite video-tapes of staff confessing to making up false paperwork.

Mr Davies said: "Having seen the report it is clear that it has evaded the main issue."

He added: "The Sunday Telegraph's investigation has highlighted important points on the abortion issue. This matter is not going to go away because I know that a number of politicians from across the spectrum are absolutely appalled at what has gone on."

The Department of Health was unavailable for comment.