Marie Stopes' Staff Took The Help I Needed Right Out of My Hands: 40 Days of Celebrating Mums Choosing Life Day 19

I attended the Marie Stopes abortion centre for a consultation about an abortion in November in the morning. On my way into the centre, I was offered a leaflet by volunteers of a pro-life group (which I later found out was the Good Counsel Network). I entered the abortion centre and sat reading the leaflet. When the receptionist saw me reading it, she came over and said “They are just protestors, don’t listen to them”. She took the leaflet out of my hands.

Good Counsel Vigil in Ealing, before the Buffer Zone

I was then brought in to see the Counsellor, I explained my situation, which was that I was struggling with my research studies and coping with my small children and that if I continued my pregnancy I worried that I could not finish my studies.

She listened to me, but she did not respond.

A lady scanned me, but did not show me the scan. She told me I was 11 weeks pregnant. She told me it would be a surgical abortion at this stage. And she told me I must make a decision as quickly as possible.

But I took my time, because I was worried. It’s not like deciding between tea and coffee.

She did not offer me any help or support. Or any options for keeping my baby and getting help.

Neither keeping the baby or adoption were discussed at all.

If I had been allowed to read the leaflet that was given to me by the Good Counsel Network that day, I would have received an offer of the very help I needed. If I had time to study, with some help with childcare, I could have studied well (as proven by the results I got in most of the modules I took). If I had got some help, I could have happily continued with the pregnancy and my studies. Instead I had to endure months of terrible stress and insecurity  - finally deciding to keep my baby which is what I wanted to be able to do all along - but having failed one module twice I am now facing dismissal from my course. 

If I am dismissed, I will lose tens of thousands of pounds that I have invested in this course.

I returned to Marie Stopes in March to ask for a letter explaining how under pressure and stressed I was in November. I needed this letter to submit as part of my appeal against the college’s decision. They refused to provide one.

Only on my way out did I meet another volunteer of the Good Counsel Network who then showed me a help leaflet like the one I had received last year and had taken from me. This showed me the help I had been deprived of – babysitting, help to continue my studies and financial help. The very things I had needed.

I thank God that I kept my baby despite the lack of choices I was offered. But I am also very sad that Marie Stopes’ intervention in taking the help leaflet from me may force me to lose my place on my course and the money which I invested in it. - Diana.

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