Marie Stopes staff felt pressured into encouraging abortions

One of Britain’s largest abortion providers has been accused of giving bonuses to staff who encourage women to have abortions.

The investigation into Marie Stopes International was conducted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which found staff felt ‘encouraged’ to ensure women went through with an abortion.

Inspectors found evidence of a “company wide focus” on women who opted against an abortion, known as ‘Did Not Proceeds’ (DNP).

Target-driven

The CQC’s report said that staff were concerned that DNP patients were measured as Key Performance Indicators, and were linked to their performance bonuses.

It also found that if a DNP was less than five-and-a-half weeks pregnant, staff were calling and offering a later appointment.

The investigation was carried out last year in the Marie Stopes centre in Maidstone, where staff reported a “pressurised environment” and a “target driven culture”.

‘Conveyor-belt culture’

Clara Campbell from the charity Life, said: “This exposes the true income-seeking nature of the abortion industry.

“A conveyor-belt culture has pervaded the industry for many years and Marie Stopes International is a good example of this.”

She said that the abortion industry claims to look after the interests of women but places their health and safety at risk in the pursuit of money, and called on the Government to act.

Conservative MP Fiona Bruce said she was shocked by the news, and said, “abortion clinics are taking advantage of pregnant women by seeking to do as many abortions as they can, rather than seeking to give genuine, non-directional counselling and advice.”

Serious failings

The CQC also found serious failings in regards to safeguarding, including a lack of up-to-date guidance on child sexual exploitation.

Inspectors said: “The safeguarding procedures at MSI Maidstone were not sufficient to protect patients, particularly children, from the risk of abuse.”

Marie Stopes International issued a response to the claims, saying: “The number of clients who choose not to go ahead with treatment is not a KPI (key performance indicator) for our staff, and never has been.

“It is categorically untrue that any member of our staff receives a performance-related bonus for the number of clients they treat.”

In December 2016 the CQC highlighted more than 2,600 serious incidents in Marie Stopes clinics, reporting that MSI failed to follow basic safety procedures.

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