Attempts To Restrict Pro-Life Advice Services...

Of course, that's not how the Broadcasting Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) will describe it. No, it merely states that it wishes to review its old advertising codes. It particularly wishes to change its regulatory position on post-conception advice services (PCAS.)

The proposals include allowing commercial PCAS to advertise on television, allowing advertising by all those seen as providing suitable credentials, and requiring services to state if they do not refer for abortion.

Lets be absolutely clear on this. Post-conception advice services will consist of two groups: abortion providers who get paid for performing abortions (a multi-million pound industry) and pro-life charities which exist on a shoestring but do their utmost to help women in crisis pregnancy situations.

Requiring services to state if they do not refer for abortion basically rules out Catholic groups: referral for abortion is cooperation, and, as far as I understand it, incurs the penalty of excommunication, latae sententiae. Catholic pro-life groups will therefore not be able to make any such referral, and will have to say so.

The abortion providers, however, are under no obligation to point out that they have a direct financial interest in getting a woman to have an abortion. Technically, they can claim that they allow the woman to choose for herself, but I have not heard a single case where a woman in an abortion clinic has been given practical advice on how to keep her baby, counselled against having an abortion, or even told the negative consequences to a woman's health and psychological well-being resulting from abortion.

The "suitable credentials" requirement by the BCAP is another cause for concern, in that it will probably require groups to agree to refer women for abortion.

The consultation period ends on 8th August 2011. SPUC asks that people read use the briefing paper that they have prepared before contacting the BCAP to make their views known.