Right to Know http://righttoknow.org.uk/updates_rss Latest from Right to Know Copyright 2013 Right to Know Christianity en-uk Right to Know no Copyright 2013 Right to Know Right To Know, Nadine Dorries, Frank Field, amendment, Health and Social Care Bill, Abortion, Counselling Religion & Spirituality/Christianity Right to Know Right To Know, Nadine Dorries, Frank Field, amendment, Health and Social Care Bill, Abortion, Counselling Latest from Right to Know Latest from Right to Know http://righttoknow.org.uk/updates_rss http://righttoknow.org.uk/images_site/Sites/R2K/feed.jpg Right to Know Right to Know: Comment on Parliamentary debate http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/Right_to_Know_Comment_on_Parliamentary_debate Commenting on today's parliamentary debate, a spokesperson for Right to Know said:

"We are pleased that the campaign has opened up the debate on the quality of care and support offered to women considering abortion and are delighted that that debate is now set to continue. There is widespread public support for the principle of independent counselling so we welcome the announcement of a full consultation on this matter. We look forward to continuing to work with government to secure proper investigation of all the relevant issues and to ensuring that women considering abortion are provided with the opportunity to access the information, advice and counselling that they deserve."

]]> Wed, 7 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000 Wed, 7 Sep 2011 12:00:00_42 +0000 ConHome: Why should a failed LibDem candidate hold sway over Dept of Health? http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/ConHome_Why_should_a_failed_LibDem_candidate_hold_sway_over_Dept_of_Health The Nadine Dorries/Frank Field amendment on abortion and counselling will be considered in the Commons this evening. As Graeme Archer argued in the Daily Telegraph last weekend, there is no such thing as an independent person, in the sense of someone without prejudices, instincts, opinions and - in whatever manner - a worldview. This truth applies to relatively unvexed issues as much as unyieldingly contested ones as abortion. It may therefore be that the amendment, which in part seeks unbiased viewpoints on abortion, is questionable for this reason, and that MPs will therefore be tempted vote them down. They may go into the No lobby for other reasons, too. Field is unpopular with many Labour MPs, and Dorries so with a lot of Conservative ones. Some feel, unfairly, that she is a publicity-crazed opportunist who won't or can't work with other people. Others will be nervous of crossing the abortion providers and lobby groups that oppose the amendment. More still will think it prudent to follow David Cameron's apparent about-turn. It's not uncommon for a Minister to write with guidance to MPs before a free vote, as Ann Milton has done - but less usual for the Whips to make the most of such letters, which it's claimed they're doing.

But before MPs make up their minds, they may want to ask a question.

Read more here ...

]]> Wed, 7 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Wed, 7 Sep 2011 00:00:00_41 +0000 Liverpool Echo: Frank Field: Why I joined Nadine Dorries on abortion reform http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/Liverpool_Echo_Frank_Field_Why_I_joined_Nadine_Dorries_on_abortion_reform Birkenhead MP Frank Field is working alongside Conservative MP Nadine Dorries to change the law on abortion counselling. He explains why to Ian Hernon.

Read more here ...

]]> Tue, 6 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Tue, 6 Sep 2011 00:00:00_40 +0000 Mail: Why Cameron must stop running scared of these abortion zealots http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/Mail_Why_Cameron_must_stop_running_scared_of_these_abortion_zealots Many who gaze across the Atlantic have long been amazed at the way in which the toxic issue of abortion fundamentally distorts the U.S. political agenda. With a certain amount of smugness, the British have told themselves that things are very different in the UK. Here, such issues are settled not by divisive decisions of the courts, as in the U.S., but through the democratic and unifying route of Parliamentary debate and votes. Yet now it appears that abortion hysteria is beginning to distort British politics, too.

Read more here ...

]]> Mon, 5 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Mon, 5 Sep 2011 00:00:00_39 +0000 Telegraph: Abortion charities could be misleading public http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/Telegraph_Abortion_charities_could_be_misleading_public Abortion charities could be misleading the public by inflating the proportion of clients who decide to keep their babies, new figures suggest.Just one in 10 women who book consultations with Maries Stopes and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) decide against having an abortion, according to figures from a sample of clinics. This is half the proportion regularly cited by the charities, who have claimed that one in five women who have consultations decide to keep their baby. The disparity in the figures, if replicated across the country, indicates that the charities have exaggerated the number of women who continue with their pregnancies after receiving counselling by 14,000 a year.

Read more here ...

]]> Mon, 5 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Mon, 5 Sep 2011 00:00:00_38 +0000 Lib Dem Voters are strongest supporters of Independent Abortion Counselling http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/Lib_Dem_Voters_are_strongest_supporters_of_Independent_Abortion_Counselling A ComRes poll published today reveals support for independent abortion counselling amendments is strongest amongst those who voted for the Liberal Democrat’s at the last General Election.

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]]> Sun, 4 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000 Sun, 4 Sep 2011 12:00:00_36 +0000 Guardian (Cif): Nadine Dorries's abortion bill has exposed our squishy utilitari http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/Guardian_Cif_Nadine_Dorries_s_abortion_bill_has_exposed_our_squishy_utilitari ...The general principle that providers of advice ought not to have a financial interest in the actions taken consequent on that advice is one that we all recognise when we don't have an interest ourselves. This is obvious in the banking world. It's curious how quickly it's forgotten in other contexts. If an abortion advice service is owned by people who make a profit from supplying abortions, this is simply wrong. If that circumstance leads to there being more abortions than there would otherwise be, it's still wrong, if not wronger. Flip the argument around: suppose there was an agency that made a profit out of adoptions, by charging commissions to the people who wanted to adopt; and suppose this agency then opened a string of abortion counselling centres. Would many of the people now defending the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and similar bodies defend the hypothetical adoption agency?

Read more here ...

]]> Sun, 4 Sep 2011 10:00:00 +0000 Sun, 4 Sep 2011 10:00:00_37 +0000 Mail: Cameron is branded 'gutless' by Tory MP after caving in to Clegg http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/Mail_Cameron_is_branded_gutless_by_Tory_MP_after_caving_in_to_Clegg David Cameron was branded 'gutless' by one of his own MPs yesterday for caving in to Nick Clegg over new curbs on abortions. Conservative Nadine Dorries rounded on the Prime Minister after Tory MPs were ordered to sabotage a bid to change the advice to women seeking abortions. Mrs Dorries said her proposal to amend the law to ensure women got 'independent' counselling instead of from abortion clinics was Mr Cameron’s idea.

Read more here ...

]]> Sun, 4 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Sun, 4 Sep 2011 00:00:00_34 +0000 Telegraph: Abortion reform: a modest proposal gone awry http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/Telegraph_Abortion_reform_a_modest_proposal_gone_awry A modest proposal by MP Nadine Dorries to offer independent advice to women seeking an abortion has led to angry protests, death threats – and the stifling of a once-in-a-generation debate. How did it come to this?

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]]> Sun, 4 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Sun, 4 Sep 2011 00:00:00_33 +0000 Telegraph: Abortion reform: listen to your prejudices http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/Telegraph_Abortion_reform_listen_to_your_prejudices Parliamentarians should be proud of the efforts of Nadine Dorries and Frank Field. 

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]]> Sat, 3 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Sat, 3 Sep 2011 00:00:00_35 +0000 92% of MPs support principle of independent abortion counselling http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/92_of_MPs_support_principle_of_independent_abortion_counselling A ComRes poll published today reveals that over 90% of MPs support the principle that women considering an abortion should have access to advice from someone who had no financial interest in the outcome of her decision.

Read more here ...

]]> Thu, 1 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Sep 2011 12:00:00_32 +0000 eGov: PM forces U-turn on Health Dept Counselling Plans http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/eGov_PM_forces_U_turn_on_Health_Dept_Counselling_Plans In another embarrasment to the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, the Prime Minister David Cameron has ordered an u-turn on the Department of Health's plans to restrict abortion service providers from providing counselling services.

Read more here ...

]]> Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:00_29 +0000 Telegraph: Abortion increases risk of mental health problems - new research http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/Telegraph_Abortion_increases_risk_of_mental_health_problems_new_research Women who have abortions are at risk of severe mental health problems, new research has found.

The study showed that those who undergo abortion face nearly double the risk of mental health difficulties compared with others and that one in ten of all mental health problems was a result of an abortion.

Read more here ...

]]> Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:00_30 +0000 BBC: David Cameron 'won't back abortion advice change' http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/BBC_David_Cameron_won_t_back_abortion_advice_change

David Cameron "cannot support" an attempt by a Conservative MP to change the rules on the advice that can be offered to women seeking abortions.

The PM's office said he was sympathetic to Nadine Dorries' view that women should be offered independent advice.

But he was concerned the planned amendment to the Health Bill would prevent abortion providers like Marie Stopes from giving counselling as well.

Ms Dorries claims such clinics have a financial motive to encourage abortion.

Read more here ...

]]> Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:00_28 +0000 The Economist: A row over abortion http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-09/The_Economist_A_row_over_abortion

YOU could be forgiven for thinking the proposed overhaul of the National Health Service (NHS) a mere bagatelle. On September 6th the government’s mammoth Health and Social Care bill will come to Parliament, and questions about who commissions what, the role of the private sector and much more will be up for debate. Yet attention in recent days has been focused on a tiny detail—what sort of state-funded counselling women contemplating abortion should be entitled to—amid hyperventilating headlines that America’s culture wars are about to arrive in Britain.

Two amendments to the bill tabled by Nadine Dorries, a Conservative MP, with the backing of Frank Field, a Labour one, would give women the right to state-funded counselling by an independent provider. This sounds innocuous.

Read more here ...

]]> Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:00_26 +0000 Nadine Dorries: Why pro-abortion zealots won't stop me trying to help http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-08/Nadine_Dorries_Why_pro_abortion_zealots_won_t_stop_me_trying_to_help Hate mail, death threats and why pro-abortion zealots won't stop me trying to help women when they need it most.

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]]> Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:18:00 +0000 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:18:00_25 +0000 The Mail: Abortion Undercover http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-08/The_Mail_Abortion_Undercover As MPs vote on the biggest abortion shake-up in 20 years, our writer approached six counselling services, posing as a vulnerable pregnant woman in dire need of impartial advice. Her findings raise deeply disturbing questions ...

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]]> Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:00_23 +0000 Guardian: Ministers back anti-abortion lobby reforms http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-08/Guardian_Ministers_back_anti_abortion_lobby_reforms The government has caved in to calls from anti-abortionists to overhaul existing protocols and strip charities and medics of their exclusive responsibility for counselling women seeking to terminate a pregnancy.

Read more here ...

]]> Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:00:00_24 +0000 Telegraph: The Pregnant Pause http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-08/Telegraph_The_Pregnant_Pause A proposal to stop the 'factory-efficient' abortion process is about to re-open decades of fractious debate. Robert Mendick reports on the impending debate.

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]]> Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:00:00_21 +0000 The Sunday Telegraph: Ministers back new law on abortion http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-08/The_Sunday_Telegraph_Ministers_back_new_law_on_abortion Abortion rules are set to be tightened by the Government in the biggest shake-up in a generation.

Read more here ...

]]> Sun, 28 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 07:00:00_22 +0000 Government accepts need for independent counselling http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-07/Government_accepts_need_for_independent_counselling The Government has accepted the need to offer independent counselling to all women considering abortion and is looking at ways to implement this.

In a written answer to a question from a member of the House of Lords, the Health Minister Earl Howe said: "We are looking to strengthen these existing arrangements and are drawing up proposals to enable all women who are seeking an abortion to be offered access to independent counselling."   

Read his full statement here.

]]> Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00_20 +0000 Press Release: Marketing tactics used to increase abortion pressure http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-07/Press_Release_Marketing_tactics_used_to_increase_abortion_pressure

Right to Know (RTK) has today (18JUL) launched a report that for the first time reveals the pressure that women come under to proceed with an abortion once they are referred to an outsourced NHS provider.

To read more and / or download the report, please click here. 

]]> Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:00:00_19 +0000 Press Release: UK's largest counselling body backs amendment http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-07/Press_Release_UK_s_largest_counselling_body_backs_amendment UK's largest counselling body backs pre-abortion counselling amendment

THE UK's leading professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists has declared its full support for an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill, tabled by Nadine Dorries MP and Rt Hon Frank Field MP. If passed, women considering abortion would have a legal right to independent, non-compulsory counselling.

Read full release ...

]]> Sun, 3 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Sun, 3 Jul 2011 00:00:00_15 +0000 Wirral News: Frank Field set to win change to abortion law http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-06/Wirral_News_Frank_Field_set_to_win_change_to_abortion_law A WIRRAL MP is poised to win his controversial bid to tighten up abortion rules – without a vote by MPs. Birkenhead MP Frank Field, wants to stop groups that carry out terminations from offering advice and counselling to pregnant women, because of their “clear conflict of interest”. The former Labour minister had already announced plans to bring forward an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill, working in tandem with Nadine Dorries, a Liverpool-born Conservative MP.

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]]> Wed, 29 Jun 2011 01:00:00 +0000 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 01:00:00_14 +0000 Mail: Abortion charities could be banned from advising women http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-06/Mail_Abortion_charities_could_be_banned_from_advising_women Britain's abortion laws could be tightened to ban providers from also serving as counsellors for women considering whether to have a termination. It would be the first significant change to the law for more than 20 years, following concerns that women are not getting independent advice at a time when they are vulnerable.

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]]> Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00_13 +0000 Guardian: Abortion providers alarmed over counselling plans http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-06/Guardian_Abortion_providers_alarmed_over_counselling_plans Charities which provide abortions could be stripped of their ability to also counsel women, under plans being considered by the government. Measures which would mean women must be referred to an "independent" organisation for counselling were being considered, said the Department of Health (DoH).

Read more...

]]> Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00_17 +0000 Total Politics (opinion): Abortion polling: danger money http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-06/Total_Politics_opinion_Abortion_polling_danger_money Andrew Hawkins clears a path through the thorniest of thorny issues addressed through the polling platform.

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]]> Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00_18 +0000 ConHome: 79% of members back campaign http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-03/ConHome_79_of_members_back_campaign A Conservative Home survey has found that 79% of their members agreed with the statement "women considering an abortion should be guaranteed access to independent information and advice from someone who has no vested financial interest in the outcome of their decision". 

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]]> Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00_8 +0000 Express: Bid to tighten abortion rules http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-03/Express_Bid_to_tighten_abortion_rules AN attempt to tighten rules on abortion and offer more support to women “bewildered” by the choices facing them will be made by MPs from different parties this week.

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]]> Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00_10 +0000 Mail: Cross party bid to tighten abortion laws http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-03/Mail_Cross_party_bid_to_tighten_abortion_laws Britain's abortion laws would be tightened for the first time in more than 20 years under cross-party proposals to be unveiled today. Senior MPs, including former Labour minister Frank Field and Conservative Nadine Dorries, a former nurse, will attempt to change the law so that women must be referred to an independent therapist for counselling before they can have a termination.

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]]> Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00_11 +0000 Press Release: Campaign launch http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-03/Press_Release_Campaign_launch Amendment to remove financial conflict from Abortion Counselling  

Nadine Dorries MP, and Frank Field, MP, aim to remove the financial conflict in abortion counselling through tabling an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill.  The aim of the amendment is to ensure that every woman considering an abortion has a right to independent pregnancy counselling before being referred to an abortion provider.

Read full release ...

]]> Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00_9 +0000 The Telegraph: MPs launch bid to cut abortion rate http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-03/The_Telegraph_MPs_launch_bid_to_cut_abortion_rate MPs launch new bid to cut abortion rate: The number of abortions carried out would fall under new laws to be proposed in Parliament next week, campaigners have claimed.

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]]> Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:00:00_1 +0000 Nadine Dorries: Change who draws up abortion guidelines http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-03/Nadine_Dorries_Change_who_draws_up_abortion_guidelines Nadine Dorries MP will lay down an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill that would make NICE responsible for drawing up the medical guidelines for women seeking abortion. Read more here ...

]]> Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00_6 +0000 Nadine Dorries: The need for independent counselling http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-03/Nadine_Dorries_The_need_for_independent_counselling Nadine Dorries MP: Britain's abortion laws currently leave vulnerable women without the most basic support and help to which they should be entitled. Read more here ...

]]> Mon, 7 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Mon, 7 Mar 2011 00:00:00_7 +0000 Telegraph: Abortion over-reaction http://righttoknow.org.uk/latest-news/2011-01/Telegraph_Abortion_over_reaction The media response to an unexceptionable amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill has been predictably intemperate.

There is an unhappy tendency in this country for debates on the most sensitive social issues to be drowned out by hysterical over-reaction.

Read more here ...

]]> Sat, 1 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Sat, 1 Jan 2011 00:00:00_27 +0000