Filmed responses of three pregnancy crisis centres to questions put by undercover investigators were commented on by abortion provider Dr Jonathan Lord and by counsellor Jo Holmes.
In response to a reference by centre staff to “the baby”, Ms Holmes said: “It’s not a baby when you’ve got a choice, it’s a pregnancy, an unplanned pregnancy or an unwanted pregnancy.”
Commenting on the offer of seeing a scan or hearing the foetal heartbeat, she also said: “It’s the last thing you’d want to see or hear.”
During the programme, a mother pregnant with twins recounted that she was repeatedly encouraged to look at the ultrasound. “So obviously, I looked, and I’d seen the two wee babies on the screen”, she said.
The woman, who went on to have her abortion, said that her experience was not something that would ever leave her.
But Dr Lord denied that there was any such thing as post-abortive syndrome or adverse mental health effects after abortion – despite evidence to the contrary, agreed on by many pro-life and pro-abortion researchers.
Dr Lord also said that “there is no increased risk of infertility [from abortion]”; even though the NHS warns of a small risk to women’s fertility, due to issues such as infection.
The potential risks of abortion to fertility are explained here.
Disgraceful attempt to smear pro-life help
SPUC’s Michael Robinson, SPUC Executive Director (Public Affairs and Legal Services), said: “This deeply biased and irresponsible Panorama programme was a disgraceful attempt to smear well-meaning attempts to help mothers and their unborn babies.
“Moreover, rather than informing viewers with accurate information, the BBC set out to cover up the post-abortive trauma experienced by many women – an inconvenient truth for the abortion industry, which the BBC is openly collaborating with – a shocking development.
“While pregnancy centres must always be accurate, such accuracy was certainly not maintained by the pro-abortion commentary by BBC ‘experts’, carefully picked to represent the agenda of the abortion industry.
“Indeed, Dr Jonathan Lord is the medical director of MSI Reproductive Choices UK. He also co-chairs the British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP). And there have been recent calls to investigate Dr Lord following allegations of professional misconduct.
“Accusations levelled against Dr Lord include the providing of ‘misleading and incorrect information to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to influence a decision in favour of his political stance in relation to abortion pill reversal therapy using Progesterone’. Dr Lord is also accused of harassing and misleading women in crisis pregnancies.
BBC in breach of impartial broadcasting
Mr Robinson continued: “This is the ‘expert’ the BBC inflicted on an unsuspecting public – and the BBC is once again in breach of the impartial broadcasting is it obligated to provide to television audiences.
The BBC has ultimately disgraced itself, and let down the women of the UK, who continue to be preyed on by the abortion industry and those who want to see more and more babies aborted.”
