A doctor, whose practice was caught discussing illegal late-term abortions, has been sent to prison by a judge in Spain.
Dr Carlos Morín’s centre was ‘fully recommended’ by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) when the Spanish facility was the subject of an undercover investigation in 2004.
A lengthy legal process followed, and Dr Morín was sent to prison for 18 months earlier this month.
Scandal
Respected pro-life campaigner Josephine Quintavalle said the ruling was encouraging, while a Roman Catholic group involved in the legal case described the doctor’s actions as “scandalous”.
During the undercover investigation, reporters from The Sunday Telegraph posed as a couple seeking a “late termination of pregnancy”.
BPAS – which is now Britain’s largest single abortion provider – referred the reporters to the Spanish centre.
Fully recommend
The British abortion group said it had “gone there and checked the clinic out”, and in answer to a question on whether it would “fully recommend” the Spanish facility, BPAS said “We do, yes.”
The couple were quoted prices for abortions at 26 weeks, and told that the facility performed abortions up to 30 weeks. This despite the abortion limit in Spain at the time being 22 weeks.
When the practise was uncovered, Ann Furedi, BPAS’ Chief Executive, said: “There is nothing we are doing that is unlawful. We are simply providing women with international contacts to clinics that can provide them with abortion services.”
‘Emergency’
The investigation also revealed that the abortion centre were prepared to list the reason for an abortion as a “gynaecological emergency”, even if it was a “normal pregnancy”.
Dr Morín was originally found guilty on eleven counts of illegal abortion in 2007, but was later acquitted.
A retrial resulted in the latest judgement, which can itself reportedly be appealed.
Pro-life expert Josephine Quintavalle said it was encouraging to see the “tenacity of the Spanish pro-life movement assisted by other European pro-life groups”, had led to a conviction against Dr Carlos Morín for “the illegal killing of late-term unborn children”.
Sex-selective abortions
In December last year, the High Court in London upheld a decision not to prosecute two doctors who offered sex-selective abortions.
Dr Prabha Sivaraman and Dr Palaniappan Rajmohan were both filmed in 2012 agreeing to arrange abortions on the grounds of sex.
But Mr Justice Irwin said there was never going to be an abortion and the only evidence concerned “preparatory acts” revealed by a newspaper investigation.
