A GROUP of healthcare bodies have written to the BBC over a decision to treat abortion as a "contentious" issue and limit access to resources on their website.
Following an episode of Call the Midwife in which a character dies as a result of an illegal backstreet abortion, viewers were told they could visit the BBC Action Line website for more information on the issues covered in the episiode.
However, women who visited the website noticed there were no sources offering advice on abortion, though the site had information on subjects including miscarriage, substance abuse and gambling.
After a question from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), BBC Action Line confirmed that they had chosen not to include resources on abortion as they considered it to be a "contentious" issue, and they did not want to be seen as "supporting one side".
They said: “It isn’t possible for the BBC Action Line to offer support for abortion and similarly contentious issues without referring people either to campaigning organisations which take a particular stance on an issue or to organisations which provide it.
"Doing so could imply the BBC supported one side or another in any contentious issue which it does not do in its coverage. However, as the current storyline in Call the Midwife also raises issues of miscarriage, pregnancy related depression and bereavement, it was felt that support should be offered for viewers who might be affected.”
In response, healthcare bodies published a letter to the broadcaster on Thursday, asking that they revise their current stance. The letter is co-signed by BPAS, Brook, the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, Family Planning Association (FPA), Marie Stopes UK, the Royal College of Midwives, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
They expressed their disappointment, and reiterated that abortion should not be seen as a "contentious issue" in 2019.
The letter said: "Abortion has been legal, in certain circumstances, in Great Britain for over 50 years, and 98% of terminations are funded by the NHS. Abortion is the most common gynaecological procedure in the UK, and one in three women will have an abortion in their lifetime. Polling demonstrates that the vast majority of the public support a woman’s right to choose, including those with a religious belief. Abortion is not a 'contentious issue'– it is a routine part of NHS-funded healthcare, provided by doctors, nurses, and midwives every day in hospitals and clinics across the country.
"The BBC Action Line response states that including links to information about abortion could imply the BBC 'supported one side or another.' However, in barring information the BBC is in effect 'supporting one side' by treating abortion as different to all the other medical procedures and conditions the BBC choses to include. This is highly stigmatising for the healthcare professionals we represent and the women we care for."
The organisations concluded that Call the Midwife had handled the issue “extremely sensitively and courageously”, and stressed that their complaint lies solely with the BBC.
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