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Marie Stopes franchise forced to close after ‘fake’ doctors found performing illegal abortions

The bodies of ten illegally aborted babies have been found discarded and decomposing in a bin at a Marie Stopes International franchise ‘Medical Centre’ in Kenya, it has been revealed.

A police search of the Marie Stopes franchise Prestige Health Point Medical Centre in Nairobi’s Pangani estate last week, also uncovered medical equipment and drugs commonly used in abortion procedures.

As a result of the findings, Kenya’s national police service, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, revealed they had arrested two ‘fake doctors’ and three other workers on suspicion of conducting illegal terminations. 

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council has disclosed the two arrested ‘doctors’ were not registered medical practitioners. “The men had not produced any documents to prove that they were doctors,” said Deputy William Sirego. “They have no registration numbers”.

The medical body has now ordered the closure of Prestige Health Point Medical Centre and suspended its registration certificate and operating license with immediate effect, pending investigation.

Citing evidence that providing abortions may have been the alleged medical centre’s main function, an individual living locally to the facility told All Africa that “most of [the patients]are young girls”.

The medical centre was one of more than 400 Amua  Marie Stopes franchise clinics across Kenya, before its closure.

Exceptional quality?

The Marie Stopes Kenya website states: “At our Amua clinics we guarantee you an excellent healthcare experience at a very affordable price.”

It adds: “But what truly sets us apart is our strong belief in offering services of exceptional quality that meet the global Marie Stopes International standards. Our network of 400 clinics is also spread all over Kenya thus bringing our services closer to you.”

While Marie Stopes International claims to offer “exceptional quality” and “excellent healthcare”, the reality appears to be the opposite.

Just last week it was revealed a nurse in the UK was left fearing for her life and needing emergency surgery after Marie Stopes denied the woman counselling and forced her to take abortion pills at home, rather than under the supervision of a doctor in a clinic.

A damning report from the UK’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) accused Marie Stopes International of paying staff bonuses for coercing women into abortions.

In addition, the CQC found the abortion group was not following proper sterilization and infection control protocols and was improperly disposing of the bodies of the babies they aborted.

In 2016, Marie Stopes International was forced to suspend abortion services for a month after an unannounced inspection by the CQC found dead foetuses lying in an open bin and staff trying to give a vulnerable, visibly distressed woman an abortion without her consent”.

In 2012, a woman called Aisha Chithira, 32, bled to death after having an abortion in Ealing Marie Stopes. A Marie Stopes doctor and two nurses were charged and then acquitted of gross negligence manslaughter.

Increased funding for abortion giant

Despite these offences, the UK increased funding for Marie Stopes International by 5000% from 2006 to 2018.

The Department for International Development has increased its contributions to the abortion giant from £905,000 in 2006 to £48,173,000 in 2018.

As pointed out by Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Kenya’s constitution guarantees the right to life and states that life begins at conception – something the majority of the country’s population still believe.

A recent survey conducted by Ipsos MORI, which questioned 2,050 people across the country, showed 86% of women and 84% of men believe “abortion should never be permitted”.

International abortion organisations trying to change law

Regardless of the social attitudes in the country, major international and well-financed organisations, including Ipas, MSI and Planned Parenthood Global, are attempting to push more extreme abortion legislation on Kenya and other African countries.  

The latest attempt to introduce a radical abortion Bill has been halted following pressure from the Kenyan population and pro-life campaigners.

 ‘Kenya’s constitution is clear’

A spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson said: “The Kenyan constitution is clear that life begins in the womb and should be protected under the bill of rights.

“A full investigation must be conducted into Marie Stopes International’s actions not just in Kenya, but around the world where they are likely offering abortions illegally and without due care for the women they claim to give ‘excellent healthcare’ too.

“Funding for Marie Stopes International from the UK Government should be removed from the organisation and given to organisations offering pregnant women real support.”

Dear reader,

You may be surprised to learn that our 24-week abortion time limit is out of line with the majority of European Union countries, where the most common time limit for abortion on demand or on broad social grounds is 12 weeks gestation.

The latest guidance from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine enables doctors to intervene to save premature babies from 22 weeks. The latest research indicates that a significant number of babies born at 22 weeks gestation can survive outside the womb, and this number increases with proactive perinatal care.

This leaves a real contradiction in British law. In one room of a hospital, doctors could be working to save a baby born alive at 23 weeks whilst, in another room of that same hospital, a doctor could perform an abortion that would end the life of a baby at the same age.

The majority of the British population support reducing the time limit. Polling has shown that 70% of British women favour a reduction in the time limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks or below.

Please click the button below to sign the petition to the Prime Minister, asking him to do everything in his power to reduce the abortion time limit.