The very first abortion facility ever opened in the United Kingdom has just closed its doors after 50 years. Originally the Calthorpe Clinic, the facility was first an elderly care center before transitioning to an abortion facility in 1969. In 2012, it was taken over by Marie Stopes International, and though it was one of the busiest abortion facilities in the country, it has now shut down permanently.
March for Life UK reported on the closure, and noted the fact that pro-lifers have been praying there for decades. The manager reportedly came outside the facility to give one of the sidewalk counselors a donut in early December, and said the facility would be closing at the end of the month. This is a victory not just for the pro-life movement, but also for women in the UK, considering the history of the facility.
The abortionists at the facility botched abortion procedures on numerous women. One abortionist nearly killed a patient, tearing a hole in her uterus, ripping out her ovary, fallopian tube, and part of her bowel, and yet still kept his job. The woman injured at his hands is now unable to have children. He also was accused of sexually harassing women at a previous job with the NHS, and 35 other women also came forward saying they likewise had been injured by this same abortionist.
Another abortionist at the facility was caught in an undercover sting agreeing to carry out abortions due to gender, joking that it was “like female infanticide.” Other inspections found that staffers were pre-signing forms before committing abortions, and the staff was also accused of not reporting the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.
READ: UK increases scandal-ridden Marie Stopes abortion chain’s funding by 5000 percent
Marie Stopes has had its own share of problems, and has frequently been plagued by scandals. A report from the United Kingdom’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that the abortion organization was trying to coerce women into abortions, was throwing away the bodies of babies they aborted, and was not following proper infection and sterilization procedures. And like this facility, inspectors found staffers were bulk-signing consent forms without first meeting patients or determining what the circumstances were. Former patients said they were treated like items on a conveyor belt, and when one woman said she decided against having an abortion, staffers told her she had “wasted their time” and pushed her out, half dressed and crying.
The March for Life UK said Calthorpe’s closure is a sign that over 30 years of prayer have been answered. Bernard Longley, the archbishop of Birmingham, where the facility was located, was said to be one of the people who participated in prayer vigils there. He said he hopes this will lead to more patients choosing life. “For a number of years I have joined the 40 Days for Life group praying in Edgbaston for those affected by the issue of abortion,” he said, according to March for Life UK. “With the closure of the Edgbaston clinic it is important to continue to pray for all parents facing difficult decisions, that they will cherish God’s gift of life.”
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