A watchdog group sponsored by the U.K.’s Department of Health found staffers at an abortion clinic were paid bonuses for convincing women to go through with abortion procedures. The clinic was tellingly described by staffers as a “cattle market.” Despite the mounting evidence, the company has denied any wrongdoing.
According to Care Quality Commission’s report (which was conducted last year but only recently released) on abortion provider Marie Stopes International’s Maidstone branch, employees “told inspectors that their performance was measured against Key Performance Indicators and were concerned that these indicators included ‘Did Not Proceed,'” reports The Sun.
In other words, staffers’ performance reviews and pay were tied to patients’ follow-through on an abortion; the more abortions you racked up, the better your performance review and pay.
“They felt that this encouraged staff to ensure that patients underwent abortions,” said the report. “Staff were also concerned that the pressurised environment and linking of KPIs to perfomance bonuses meant that there was a culture that worked against patient choice.”
Moreover, the disturbing practice of incentivizing staffers to increase the number of abortions was likely company-wide. The Sun reports:
Worryingly, minutes from July 2016 show a company-wide focus across all 70 Marie Stopes clinics in the country on phoning patients who had decided against an abortion and offering them another appointment.
Marie Stopes International was also found by inspectors to have “serious safeguarding concerns, including a lack of up to date guidance on child sexual exploitation.”
“The safeguarding procedures at MSI Maidstone were not sufficient to protect patients, particularly children, from the risk of abuse,” found Care Quality Commission.
The abortion company has been plagued by alleged misconduct. Just last year, a Norwich branch reportedly tried to give a woman with learning difficulties a nonconsensual abortion.
Marie Stopes International has denied all wrongdoing, issuing the following statement:
The number of our clients who choose not to go ahead with treatment is not a KPI (key performance indicator) for our staff, and never has been.
It is categorically untrue that any member of our staff receives a performance-related bonus for the number of clients they treat.
We follow a stringent consent process for all of our clients, and we will not proceed with a procedure if we have any doubt at all that a woman is unsure of her decision.
We do not contact clients who have chosen not to proceed with treatment.