BBC accused of bias after Panorama abortion investigation

A BBC Panorama programme, released this week, claims that “women are being misled and manipulated about abortion by some crisis pregnancy advice centres in the UK” following undercover investigations.

The claims are being challenged by several pro-life organisations such as Good Counsel Network. Speaking to Premier, director the counselling centre for women in London, Clare McCulloch, said, “I think the BBC are totally biased on this issue.”

“I've been interviewed several times by the BBC. And I have found that there is completely an agenda there. There's a lot of emphasis on shutting down the pro-life voice at the moment, and they're trying to stop us reaching women wherever we're making contact with them and offering them help.

“When I say ‘they’, I mean the abortion movement, the abortion centres. And even in Parliament. There's a move to bring in buffer zones and things to prevent the pro-life voice reaching women who may be under pressure to have an abortion.”

In its Panorama programme, the BBC reported that 21 of the 57 centres investigated “gave misleading medical information and/or unethical advice about abortion” and that “seven centres said having a termination could lead to "post-abortion syndrome" - a mental health condition likened to post traumatic stress disorder, which is not recognised by the NHS.”

Ms McCulloch told Premier: “The idea that no woman ever suffers any kind of emotional distress after an abortion is not something that the general public will accept. I think there are many, many women out there who've had an abortion, and men who have been through an abortion with a partner, who have experienced a wide range of side effects.

“So I think whatever they're saying, the statistic or evidence says, we see many women ourselves who have been through an abortion and have suffered, you know, great psychological trauma as well as some of them suffering a lot of medical problems following their abortion.”

‘Unborn Lives Matter’, a pro-life charity group based in Northern Ireland, tweeted in support of Ms McCulloch’s criticisms.