Marie Stopes in dock for ‘abortions on demand’

Group exposed by the Mail faces probe from health chiefs Call-centre tactics show ‘lack of respect for women and the law’

SCANDAL-hit Marie Stopes abortion clinics are under fresh investigation after the Daily Mail revealed that doctors are approving the operation for women they have never met.

inspectors were sent to the charity’s headquarters last week to review how it is run.

the probe is now being expanded after reporters discovered women are being signed off for abortions after only a brief phone conversation with a call centre worker. these discussions can be as short as 22 seconds.

Marie Stopes doctors are then agreeing to the procedures based on a one-line summary from the call centre workers, who have no medical training. the revelations in yesterday’s Mail have caused fury, with politicians and campaigners accusing Marie Stopes of ‘providing abortion on demand’.

Last year the Care Quality Commission expressed ‘ serious concerns’ about whether abortions were being properly approved at Marie Stopes.

A temporary ban was enforced after inspectors found they were not being performed safely.

But the ban was lifted when Marie Stopes assured regulators sufficient improvements had been made.

Although doctors are not legally required to meet the woman before approving an abortion, it is ‘good practice’ to do so, according to Department of health guidance.

Last night tory MP Fiona Bruce said the Abortion Act is being ignored. it stipulates that two doctors must sign off on abortion after forming an opinion in ‘good faith’ that legal grounds were met. Mrs Bruce said: ‘ these shoddy procedures reveal an appalling lack of respect for the women concerned and for the law by Marie Stopes, whose contract involving huge amounts of public money should be reviewed immediately.’

Marie Stopes, which has 70 UK clinics, is offering ‘ abortion on demand’, said Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh.

he accused Marie Stopes of behaving in an ‘arrogant fashion’.

he said: ‘the law is quite clear. We do not have abortion on demand and if you wish to have an abortion it should be justified and you should not just have it arranged on the telephone. this is clearly an abuse of the Abortion Act and the CQC should do their job.’ he said if Marie Stopes isn’t following protocol, its work should be suspended.

inspectors at a Marie Stopes clinic in Maidstone, Kent, last year raised concerns of ‘bulk signing’ abortion forms without seeing the patient. in one case, a doctor signed 26 forms in two minutes.

But Sir Edward added: ‘Marie Stopes appears to have learnt nothing. And the CQC’s minimalist approach is not good enough.’

CQC inspectors will publish their report in the next two months. Professor Edward Baker of the Care Quality Commission said it had been ‘very closely monitoring’ the clinics since last year’s inspections. he said: ‘We very recently re-inspected its corporate headquarters for England to review its progress. Should we have any concerns about patient safety, we will not hesitate to take further action, to guarantee this provider meets the standard of care we expect and that its patients deserve.’

A source said the Mail’s discov- eries will now be ‘taken into consideration’ by inspectors.

Paul McPartlan, managing director at Marie Stopes UK, said: ‘We would like to reassure women that our services comply fully with UK abortion law.’ he added the CQC findings were taken very seriously and it has ‘worked extensively’ to address the concerns.

A spokesman said the 22-second discussion about the woman’s reason for the abortion was part of a thorough 16-minute call.