1 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:06,535 This program me contains some scenes 2 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:10,855 which some viewers may find upsetting. 3 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,655 This is Claire, she's pregnant and about to go undercover... 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,495 Are you ready? 5 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:21,055 ...investigating crisis pregnancy advice centres. 6 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:24,135 If you feel like it's getting too much, just leave. 7 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:25,975 Hi, it's Lissa and Ella. 8 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,855 There are dozens of these centres in the UK claiming to provide 9 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:34,335 support with unplanned pregnancies. 10 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:45,495 We reveal evidence some centres are giving misleading advice. 11 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:52,535 Accused of persuading women not to have abortions. 12 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,535 Crisis pregnancy centres are not upfront about who they are 13 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:59,335 and what they're there to do. 14 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:03,695 No-one else should be made to feel how I felt that clay. 15 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:10,615 So how many women like me has there been? 16 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,335 I'm on my way to meet a woman who contacted me 17 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,615 about her experience with a crisis pregnancy advice service. 18 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:32,775 She was 25 when she became pregnant last year. 19 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:35,815 It was absolutely unplanned, unexpected. 20 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:41,215 Ancl I think I was unprepared for having to deal with that. 21 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:44,295 I googled pregnancy crisis line or pregnancy helpline, 22 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:47,175 just to talk to somebody for impartial advice. 23 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:53,775 Ancl I found Pregnancy Crisis Helpline. 24 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:57,935 The Pregnancy Crisis Helpline says 25 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,335 it's supported more than 2,000 women in the last year. 26 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:06,375 But Melanie was unhappy with the advice she got. 27 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,455 There were things that were with an aim to make me question 28 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:14,455 why I wanted to have an abortion, whether I should. 29 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,255 She definitely did some fear- mongering around the process 30 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:23,695 of a medical abortion, 31 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:26,775 "you can heavily bleed for months on end." 32 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,335 She had said about the likelihood of me being infertile after having 33 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:32,695 an abortion and she said, "You'll always be a mother," 34 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:34,815 and whilst that is something that I disagree with, 35 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:39,095 that does stay with you. 36 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:44,215 I was appalled. I was angry. 37 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,255 It made me not want to call anyone else for advice 38 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,695 that wasn't someone I knew. 39 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:56,335 Despite her experience, Melanie went ahead with an abortion. 40 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:02,495 The Pregnancy Crisis Helpline says it supports women in a safe, 41 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:07,215 it works hard to offer women 42 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:08,895 the highest possible standard of support, 43 00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:10,775 and since it started, it's had two complaints 44 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:15,655 and thousands of grateful clients. 45 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:17,775 Abortions have been available on the NHS in England, 46 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:22,495 Scotland and Wales, for more than 50 years. 47 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:24,815 Today the NHS also funds abortions through providers 48 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,415 like MSI Reproductive Choices. 49 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,095 Medicine is all about informed choice. 50 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,695 Ancl abortion care is exactly the same as any other field 51 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:38,415 of medicine like that. 52 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:41,295 But you can only come to the right decision for what's best 53 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,695 for you in your circumstances if you have good quality, 54 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:48,215 unbiased information. 55 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:55,175 Crisis Pregnancy Centres operate outside the NHS. 56 00:03:55,200 --> 00:04:00,215 We found 57 advertising online. 57 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:02,095 Most say they don't refer women for abortions. 58 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:08,175 They say they offer support and information. 59 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:15,615 I think the common thread that runs through them is that they intercept 60 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,735 and grab women who are struggling with the decision as to 61 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,935 whether they want to move forward with an abortion or not. 62 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:27,335 We wanted to find out more. 63 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:29,535 We contacted all 57 centres, posing as women wanting 64 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:34,615 information about our options, including abortion. 65 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:35,815 Hello. 66 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:40,535 Hi, there. 67 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:42,975 I recently found out that I'm pregnant and it's come 68 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,935 as a massive shock and I just... 69 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:50,575 34 of the centres offered impartial support and directed us to the NHS. 70 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:56,495 Two wouldn't speak to us without a positive pregnancy test. 71 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:01,495 21, more than a third, gave worrying advice. 72 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:03,175 There's new evidence that abortion may increase 73 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,935 the susceptibility to breast cancer. 74 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:10,575 The majority of women will get Post Abortion Syndrome in some way. 75 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,935 You'll take the two tablets and that will kill the baby in the womb, 76 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:21,055 and you will bleed out. 77 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,135 To investigate further, I decide to go undercover 78 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:30,255 and make appointments at three of the 21 centres. 79 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:35,215 First, Crossroads Crisis Pregnancy Centre. 80 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:37,095 It says its trained counsellors provide 81 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,455 free and accurate information. 82 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:46,215 It opened in 2005 and is based in a Baptist Church. 83 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:51,775 I'm going to say I'm three weeks pregnant. 84 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:56,775 Hiya, I'm here to see someone called Glossyna. 85 00:05:56,800 --> 00:05:57,775 Yeah, that's me. 86 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,495 Oh, hello. 87 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,335 Hi, there, have you got a toilet here that I could quickly...? 88 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:09,095 Yes, you can. 89 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:14,695 I'm taken into a room by Glossyna who says she's a counsellor. 90 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,455 Wow. 91 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:27,055 We showed our secretly filmed footage to Dr Jonathan Lord, 92 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:31,935 who also speaks for the Royal College of Obstetricians 93 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:33,375 and Gynaecologists, andjo Holmes 94 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:40,335 from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. 95 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:45,815 Because you've got to kill the baby... 96 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:47,255 It's not about an unplanned pregnancy. 97 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:48,295 It's about a baby. 98 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,935 You know, it's not a baby when you've got a choice. 99 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:51,975 It's a pregnancy. 100 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:53,575 It's an unplanned pregnancy or unintended pregnancy, 101 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:54,695 or an unwanted pregnancy. 102 00:07:54,720 --> 00:08:00,615 It was just immediately diving in with that laden language. 103 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:01,775 To get rid of it... 104 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:04,455 Glossyna says she's not here to tell me what to do. 105 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,495 Then describes what she says are the risks of having an abortion. 106 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:41,455 Mm. 107 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,895 A lot of what was in there was just simply false. 108 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,175 There is no increased risk of infertility, 109 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:01,375 the risk of haemorrhage is minimal. 110 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:03,575 From, you know, a professional standards point of view, 111 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,815 as a counsellor, they're not there to advise, they are not 112 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:10,775 there to guide, and they are so not there to give their opinion. 113 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:14,375 Neither Crossroads Crisis Pregnancy Centre nor Glossyna responded 114 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:20,335 to our request for comment. 115 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,375 Of the 57 centres we looked into, 116 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:26,095 32 made their religious affiliations clear. 117 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:33,095 And 20 of them provided impartial advice. 118 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:43,735 Next, Tyneside Pregnancy Advice Centre. 119 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:47,215 It says it has a Christian ethos and is committed 120 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,135 to providing a caring, compassionate, 121 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:52,415 and professional service. 122 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:57,095 We have a mandate, don't we? 123 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,535 From God to do something... 124 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:01,175 Dr Chris Richards is an NHS Paediatrician 125 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,855 and the director of the centre. 126 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:07,775 ...and deliver those who are drawn towards death and hold back those 127 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:13,775 stumbling to the slaughter. 128 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:16,815 WE know what's going on... 129 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:18,975 Here he explains how the use of ultrasound scans 130 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,375 in Crisis Pregnancy Centres in America has helped convince women 131 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,055 there not to have abortions. 132 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:25,215 The power of ultrasound amongst the population, particularly 133 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:29,735 in the States, has had a profound effect. 134 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:36,615 The heartbeat appears at three weeks and five or six clays. 135 00:10:36,680 --> 00:10:40,495 It's the size of a poppy seed but it doesn't look like that on the scan 136 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,375 because you see this quite big image going at about sort of 137 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,495 100, 120 beats per minute. 138 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:47,935 Crisis pregnancy centres in the UK 139 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:50,575 are very much model led on crisis pregnancy centres in the US. 140 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:53,215 Are very much model led on crisis pregnancy centres in the US. 141 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:55,575 They employ the same tactics to try to deter women 142 00:10:55,600 --> 00:11:00,895 from accessing services. 143 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:03,975 Katherine O'Brien is an Associate Director at 144 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:05,415 The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, 145 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:11,135 one of the UK's main abortion providers. 146 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,175 They will share similar literature and messaging to women 147 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:18,135 and crucially they employ tactics around the use 148 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:20,935 of ultrasounds and will try to force women to, say, 149 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:24,775 listen to the heartbeat or see an ultrasound image 150 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:29,735 in order to prevent her from undergoing an abortion. 151 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:35,055 I decide to visit 152 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:41,095 the Tyneside Pregnancy Advice Centre, undercover. 153 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:42,575 Is the equipment working? 154 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:46,255 Yeah, this is now recording. 155 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:48,815 I'm going to say I'm married with two children 156 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:54,415 and I'm pregnant again. 157 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:02,335 I meet Audrey, who I'm told is an advisor. 158 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:26,735 Mm. 159 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:29,775 Audrey gives me a leaflet about what the centre says 160 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,855 are the risks of having an abortion. 161 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,855 Yeah. 162 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:27,935 OK, from a clinical perspective, 163 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:30,335 yes, infection is always a risk with anything you do, 164 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:32,735 including not doing anything or carrying on with the pregnancy, 165 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:34,695 so it's always a balance. 166 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:37,335 But leaving it in the way she did about "how will 167 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:40,735 "you tell your daughters?" 168 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:43,215 It's extraordinary. 169 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:44,935 It's going straight for the guilt button. 170 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:45,935 Yeah. 171 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:48,335 This is about this woman's unique experience that she owns, 172 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:49,335 not the counsellor. 173 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:51,775 It's the woman's experience and I think she's just trying 174 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:56,655 to manipulate the conversation to her end really. 175 00:13:56,680 --> 00:13:58,415 Audrey says if I'm considering an abortion 176 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:01,335 I should consult the NHS website. 177 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:04,655 But she also encourages me to have an ultrasound scan 178 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:10,895 and shows me the room where they're carried out. 179 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,815 I leave, saying I'll think about having a scan. 180 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:37,855 Scans are a tool, they can be very useful in some circumstances, 181 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,455 but they can actually be quite intrusive in others. 182 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,135 But we're doing it for a reason. 183 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:45,735 A medical reason. 184 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:47,895 We're doing it because we want to measure something. 185 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:50,215 But in the context here, it's designed to cause guilt. 186 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:51,935 You know, that's why they're doing it, 187 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:53,415 they're trying to manipulate the emotions. 188 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:58,215 It's the last thing you'd want to see or hear. 189 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,215 Dr Chris Richards says the Tyneside Pregnancy Advice Centre 190 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:06,655 "has a 14-year track record of compliance with all its 191 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:09,695 regulatory obligations" and that "over 1,200 women have benefitted 192 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:11,615 from the work of its staff and volunteers". 193 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:13,535 He says anyone reading its website can see 194 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:16,615 where it's coming from and it's "not a campaigning organisation". 195 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:23,295 Audrey didn't respond to our request for comment. 196 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:29,055 CHANTING 197 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:30,975 The Supreme Court has just overturned five decades 198 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:32,655 of the constitutional right to an abortion 199 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:35,655 for women across the country. 200 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:39,375 Now millions of women will have lost that right. 201 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:45,695 Last summer, abortion laws in the US were radically changed. 202 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:52,535 It's no longer a legal right to have an abortion in every state. 203 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,655 Three more states have now officially banned abortion services. 204 00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:02,695 There are no exceptions under this new law for rape or incest. 205 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:07,695 The only exceptions are for medical emergencies. 206 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:10,135 In the US, one of the most influential anti-abortion groups 207 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:14,175 is Stanton International. 208 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:18,295 It's set up five crisis pregnancy centres there. 209 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:20,775 Life-affirming medical clinics such as Stanton Health Care 210 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:22,055 are revolutionising women's medical care 211 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:26,935 and providing a true choice for women. 212 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:29,255 Stanton International opened a centre in Belfast 213 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:35,455 called Stanton Health Care in 2015, 214 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:40,815 four years before abortion was legalised in Nothern Ireland. 215 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:43,855 Its website says it's a safe place 216 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:49,415 where women are empowered to make their best choice. 217 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,175 When mother-of-five Ashleigh found out she was pregnant in 2021, 218 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:56,655 she called Stanton Health Care 219 00:16:56,680 --> 00:17:03,975 believing they could help her with an abortion. 220 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,615 It was made quite clear to them that that's what I wanted and they didn't 221 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:09,695 ask me did I want anything else. 222 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:13,535 They told me that they would sort it out for me and that there would be 223 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:16,095 support, there would be counselling for, for afterwards. 224 00:17:16,120 --> 00:17:19,975 But when she turned up for an appointment, she was told 225 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:21,975 she needed an ultrasound scan. 226 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:27,095 It revealed she was pregnant with twins. 227 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:31,135 Ancl they were doing the scan and I had my head the other way, 228 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:34,415 and they kept telling me to look and look and look and look at 229 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:36,935 the scan, and I wouldn't look at it. 230 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:40,015 Ancl she said, "These are your babies," and I was like, "Oh, God." 231 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:41,295 So obviously I looked. 232 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:47,055 Ancl I'd seen the two wee babies on the screen. 233 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:50,135 Ancl I told her, you, know what's going on, 234 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:51,815 "I'm here because I want an abortion." 235 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,215 I wiped me own jelly off and left the room. 236 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:56,415 That was enough for me. 237 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:58,335 Ashleigh went ahead with the abortion and says 238 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:03,255 it was the right decision for her. 239 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:08,815 But the experience at Stanton Health Care had a lasting impact. 240 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:11,855 Mentally after that, I don't think I've ever been the same. 241 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:19,375 I shouldn't have to be in so much pain. 242 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,615 I want to go undercover. 243 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:25,295 But Stanton Health Care says it'll only see women 244 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:30,095 who provide a positive pregnancy test on site. 245 00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:32,255 So, Claire, who's ten weeks into a planned pregnancy, 246 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:38,335 agrees to help us. 247 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:41,495 If she really wanted an abortion, she'd only have two weeks to get 248 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,775 one, because in Northern Ireland, abortion's only legal 249 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:50,015 up to 12 weeks, unless there's a medical emergency. 250 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:53,055 Hi, Claire, I'm Div ya. 251 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,215 Honestly, we can't thank you enough for helping us, 252 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:58,055 because this is not an easy task. 253 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:02,015 Really that's what intrigued me, the fact that you were focusing 254 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:04,895 on a key issue that women face, that they would not want 255 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:10,055 to speak about openly. 256 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:20,295 Look, there's Stanton right there on the right. 257 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:23,655 Look the windows are completely blacked out. 258 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:29,735 You can't see anything. It looks like it's open, though. 259 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:33,895 How are you feeling? 260 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:35,975 Yeah, I'm slightly nervous. 261 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,535 You do not have to stay in there and you can 262 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:39,775 pull out at any point. 263 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:40,775 Are you OK? 264 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:41,815 Yeah. 265 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:42,895 Ready? Yeah. 266 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:47,935 Good luck. 267 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:50,975 Claire's calling herself Lissa 268 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:56,295 and goes in with one of our producers. 269 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:02,255 Hi, it's Lissa and Ella. 270 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:09,975 In the waiting room, Claire is introduced to Anne, 271 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:15,735 who says she's an advisor. 272 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:37,975 They won't see Claire with me. 273 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,895 What's in here? 274 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:43,175 The camera. 275 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:47,655 When you go in, what you need to do is put this on your lap. 276 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:31,815 Post-abortion syndrome, is that a thing? 277 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:33,255 No. It is completely made up. 278 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:38,015 There is no evidence for it whatsoever. 279 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,775 Almost none of that whatsoever was rooted in reality, 280 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:14,135 that it's a powerful female hormone. 281 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:15,655 That's nonsense. 282 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:21,095 Ancl then she sort of carries on about passing it. 283 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:25,055 Well, it is true that the process of having a medical abortion 284 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:29,455 is worse than, you know, having a heavy period, for example. 285 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:56,815 It's stalling, it's just tick-tock, tick-tock, time is going on. 286 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,535 You know, that woman is almost going to be coerced 287 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:06,055 sort of into keeping the pregnancy. 288 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,095 Anne says the centre can provide financial help and after-care 289 00:23:09,120 --> 00:23:15,015 to women who go ahead with their pregnancies. 290 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:18,695 Claire leaves agreeing to come back for a scan. 291 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:24,695 On the way out she's given several leaflets. 292 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:29,695 What really struck me with these leaflets are that if I did 293 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:33,015 decide to get an abortion, 294 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:35,655 they said that I could get breast cancer, which is scary. 295 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:37,095 But this one is quite traumatising. 296 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:40,135 I literally do not want to look at it. 297 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,215 It's got babies that are basically aborted 298 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:49,335 and the pictures are very graphic. I can't even look at it. 299 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:53,415 The images are too graphic to show, 300 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:57,575 but Dr Jonathan Lord and jo Holmes agree to look at them. 301 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:01,535 It's pretty horrific, isn't it? 302 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:04,455 They made this look like this is what happens in every abortion 303 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:08,415 and they've zoomed right up on it. 304 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:09,975 Ancl to just manifestly and deliberately 305 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:12,855 increase the distress they're going to get by showing them. 306 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:15,935 This is cruelty, and it's just so cruel. 307 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:17,375 What's your take on the risks? 308 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:20,415 Things like breast cancer? 309 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:22,695 This old chestnut about breast cancer. 310 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:26,815 There is no evidence for this. 311 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:32,575 It is entirely conjecture and designed to frighten people. 312 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:38,215 Two weeks later Claire returns for the ultrasound. 313 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:42,655 Hi, how are you? 314 00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:45,695 They say they didn't think she'd turn up, 315 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:49,615 so there's no-one available to do the scan. 316 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:54,815 While Claire's there, a woman introduces herself as Iris. 317 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:59,855 She says she normally works on the helpline. 318 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:02,895 I later discover that her name is Bernadette Smyth, 319 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:05,375 founder of Precious Life, 320 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:11,535 one the largest anti-abortion campaign groups in Northern Ireland. 321 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:15,855 We vow in our efforts to make abortion unthinkable 322 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:17,935 and illegal again in Ireland, North and South, 323 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:23,935 and indeed through the world. 324 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:32,000 Bernadette Smyth told us her middle name is Iris 325 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:54,880 She says it's on her name tag 326 00:26:46,360 --> 00:26:46,455 and there's nothing misleading about it. 327 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:46,775 Stanton International's Chief Operating Officer agreed 328 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:54,055 She was pressurised to look at the images of the pregnancy. 329 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:20,935 And last year opened a new centre in Scotland. 330 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,055 We would welcome more support for women experiencing unplanned 331 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:24,095 or unwanted pregnancies. 332 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:26,295 Ancl the most vulnerable women in our society absolutely 333 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:31,495 need greater support. 334 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:36,455 But crisis pregnancy centres are not the support that these women need. 335 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:39,535 The three crisis pregnancy centres we investigated undercover 336 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:43,775 are all registered charities. 337 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:45,535 The Charity Commission in Northern Ireland says 338 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:49,375 it's already looking into Stanton Health Care. 339 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:52,855 The Charity Commission in England says it's assessing the information 340 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:56,335 provided by this program me. 341 00:27:56,360 --> 00:28:03,295 The Department of Health and Social Care says it's important 342 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:08,535 women facing unplanned pregnancies get impartial, accurate information. 343 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,935 But right now, if you visit a crisis pregnancy centre, 344 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:12,175 there's little or no regulation 345 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:16,255 of the quality of advice and counselling you might receive. 346 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,655 I think they're flying under the radar. 347 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:20,975 You know, they really should be regulated. 348 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:27,335 I think they're falling between a gap in the regulations. 349 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:30,415 It's not something that has left me or will ever leave me. 350 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:35,735 No-one else should experience what I experienced. 351 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:40,935 No-one else should be made to feel how I felt that clay.