Statement from LIFE regarding Daily Mail's ‘Abortion Undercover' article

We would like to make it clear that the skilled listener ‘Sheila' who featured in the Daily Mail article ‘Abortion Undercover' today was in no way acting according to our guidelines for staff and volunteers counselling women facing unplanned pregnancy. 

We are completely committed to providing non-judgmental, non-directive counselling and skilled listening services and take very seriously any breach of this policy.  This particular volunteer, therefore, is not now seeing clients and we have temporarily closed our London Care centre.

We will be re-opening shortly and our service will be guided by a revised Care manual and protocol based on the highest BACP professional principles, which have always guided our Care service.  We are not, as the article claims, a Christian charity.

Our counsellors and skilled listeners are trained in line with BACP guidelines.  Our aim is to provide quality counselling to women and men who are facing a difficult time in their lives - whether they are facing unplanned pregnancy or need support after abortion.

We offer a Care service that enables women to explore all the options available to them.  We give women time and space, away from external pressures, to discover their real feelings.  Sometimes women feel able to continue with the pregnancy; others decide abortion is their best option. 

Whatever a woman chooses, it is vital that she reaches that decision herself.  We are there to facilitate her thinking process.  We do not persuade and we do not influence.  We offer a professional service of which we are proud.