bpas: Abortion in the UK - Prospects and Barriers
Monday, 21 May 2012 8:58 AM
Reproductive choice for women is backed by the majority of people living in the United Kingdom. But there are many who increasingly feel it is not a right that can be taken for granted.
Recent attempts to obstruct or even legislate against access to abortion in the UK as we understand it have moved the issue back into the political spotlight.
As Britain's largest single abortion provider, caring for over 55,000 women each year, bpas (the British Pregnancy Advisory Service) has found itself at the centre of this debate.
They have had a challenging time of it. bpas offices have been singled out for protests by pro-life campaigners who focus on the charity's provision of abortion services, and they have faced accusations of working for profit, despite being a registered charity (no 289145). They have even had their computers hacked into by a pro-life protester.
None of this, however, has deterred bpas from all their hard work. The not-for-profit organisation continues to offer a range of services including pregnancy testing, counselling, STI screening, contraception, sterilisation, vasectomy and vasectomy reversal, as well as specialist contact centre services to the NHS. And recently, Ann Furedi, the charity's chief executive, gave a talk on the prospects and barriers involved in providing abortion in the UK.
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