Close the Rogue Agency demo

dublin | gender and sexuality | event notice Thursday July 22, 2010 10:12 by Choice Ireland choiceireland at gmail dot com

Regulate crisis pregnancy counselling agencies now!

Choice Ireland will be holding the latest in a series of demos against the rogue crisis pregnancy agency WRC at 50 Upper Dorset Street this Saturday at 1pm.

Shut Down 50 Upper Dorset Street!!!

MISLEADING
Advertised as a pregnancy counselling agency, the ‘WRC’ (Women’s Resource Centre), also known as the ‘British Alternatives Pregnancy Agency’ or ‘A Choice for Women’, subjects women in crisis pregnancies to psychological manipulation, misleading and deliberately lying about pregnancy and abortion services to prevent women from travelling abroad for abortions.

The names they advertise under are geared towards attracting women who are considering abortion, they then proceed to show videos, produce model foetuses and tell lies to clients to force them to feel guilt and shame for even considering this option.

DODGY
In 1999, a previous incarnation of the agency at 50 Upper Dorset St. called ‘Aadams’ was forced to shut down. This followed a high court ruling that it was operating an illegal adoption agency. It reopened for business shortly afterwards as the ‘Women’s Counselling Network’. In its present guise, the agency has changed its name after various scandals; for example after a Newstalk expose of its operations several years ago, it dropped the name ‘Alpha’ in favour of ‘WRC’. After Choice Ireland's exposure of its tactics it changed its name in its Golden Pages ad to "Abbey Counselling Centre".

The agency has also gone as far as phoning contact numbers the women have given them to tell their family members and partners that they are pregnant and considering abortion, and even cancelling abortions that women have scheduled abroad.

FANATICAL
This agency has links with the Christian Solidarity Party as the company is registered to Michael Larkin who stood for them in the 2002 general election. When the agency was known as ‘Aadams’, it was owned by Eamonn Murphy, another fundamentalist Christian party member.

Though they won’t tell you so at a ‘counselling’ session, these fundamentalist Christians do not believe in sex education or in contraception! They vilify women who have extra-marital sex. They endorse only abstinence to prevent unplanned pregnancies. Their less-than-realistic outlook on the situation leads them to employ any methods they see possible to “save the life” of the foetus. They do not care in the least for the mental or physical well-being of the women who come to them for help. Why else would they lie to and manipulate them?

SOME OF THE LIES
LIE: “Irish women are unable to get medical abortions, and must wait until being at least 8 weeks pregnant to get a surgical abortion”

LIE: “Abortion increases the risk of breast cancer and you may end up with a colostomy bag”

LIE: “Women who have abortions are more likely to become abusive of children, become alcoholics, and develop congenital depression”

LIE: “Abortion causes frigidity in women”

In a country where the discussion of abortion is taboo, and many women are isolated and afraid to seek the advice of family, friends and partners, properly regulated pregnancy agencies such as the IFPA offer a vital service. The ‘WRC’ is targeting these vulnerable women and pursuing their agenda at the expense of women’s mental and physical well-being.

We call for this agency to be shut down permanently.

We call for proper regulation of counselling services in Ireland.