BBC won't have links to abortion info on its Action Line

[ValWiggin]

... because they believe it is a “contentious issue” and doing so might “imply the BBC supported one side or another.”

www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/press-office/press-releases/women-s-healthcare-bodies-call-on-bbc-to-reverse-stance-on-abortion-information/

I don't see how simple factual info to a legal and necessary service is "supporting one side". The link includes the letter asking that they reverse their current stance on providing links to information about abortion, co-signed by British Pregnancy Advisory Service (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.

When someone tells you who they are, pay attention.

That’s it, I’m in favour of defunding the BBC. May they be the first major casualty of Brexit.

Abolish the license fee!

But it's a legal medical service freely available to the women of this country.

They are making it contenscious.

Contentious

They’ve thrown out their consciousness of sexism and misogyny altogether.

This is exactly it, really good way of putting it. All our public institutions have.

For anyone planning on stopping their tv licence payments:

www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/tv-licence/

It’s important to be sure you don’t/won’t use services you should be paying for:

A rule that came into force in September 2016 means you need a licence to legally use BBC iPlayer, even if you're only watching catch-up TV. But that doesn't apply to other catch-up services, so the ITV Hub, All 4 and My5 are legal to use without a licence as long as you're not using them to watch live TV.

The BBC are being fucking ridiculous. This isn’t a sixth form ethics debate with two sides. This is safe legal women’s healthcare. Women need prompt information to make their own mind up about abortion. They do not need a balanced debate: that’s for reporting the news etc. What a shower. Very glad to see all these women’s groups speaking out

How to complain

www.bbc.co.uk/faqs/comment_appreciation

I am disgusted with the BBC and not for the first time-they seem particularly woman hating at the moment. But I still believe in public service broadcasting- and the commercial alternatives are not our friend either- despite the utter wankery that seems to have taken hold at the BBC in recent years.

Outrageous.
I heard a story this week on the radio about a lady's( in Africa I think) abortion which was described by the Today presenter as "botched". I thought at the time how lazy, ugly and cruel that expression is. Abortion is a legal medical procedure, not one that is contentious or to be derided. Shame on you BBC.

Why aren't the BBC reporting on this?

Yes, I still believe in a national, publically funded broadcaster, even if ours seem to have taken leave of their senses at the moment.

i'll keep supporting them for now for the same reason I still pay my labour party dues.

I've sent my complaint in

this should be in AIBU too

They have links to Mermaids under Gender Identity........

I am extremely annoyed about this.

How fucking dare they.

It's legal.

What is their problem with a legal medical procedure?

Oh I get it now.

TOP is not about expressing oneself.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47243117

The BBC article acknowledges that there is no reason why termination advice couldn't be given, but says :
John Deighan, deputy CEO of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child, an anti-abortion group, said the Action Line site was right not to include links on abortion.

He said: "The issues raised in the 'Call the Midwife' programme are controversial. I can understand reservations over which helpline numbers would have been appropriate to provide."

Which suggests that the BBC have been influenced by a pressure group?

So much for women's rights.

This thread was started about abortion.

Now it's about trans. And yet again, trans issues are being cited as a reason to destroy our institutions, rather than improve them.

So, what would we get if we lost the BBC?

Destroying or at least hobbling the BBC has long been the aim of Rupert Murdoch (owner of The Sun and Fox News), so he can increase his influence over the UK information market. So he'd be happy.

There'd be other interested parties ready to capitalise on it too. Off the top of my head, Russia Today, but there'll be plenty more.

Oddly I don't think I, as a British woman, am likely to benefit from such a destruction.

So
a) I agree it's shameful the BBC have failed to link to at least the NHS information on abortion;
b) I'd rather tell them that, IMHO, they should change this;
c) also IMHO, pressuring the BBC to get it right is better than burning the building down while yelling, "Huh, that showed you!"

Abortion is legal so what is the issue?!