London charity linked to illegal abortions

LONDON, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Britain's largest abortion charity has acknowledged sending women to a clinic in Spain to have illegal, late-term abortions, the Daily Mirror reported Monday.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service made the admission, but claimed it was doing nothing illegal by referring women to the Clinic Ginemedex in Barcelona after 24 weeks of pregnancy, which is Britain's time limit.

Abortion at such a late stage is also illegal in Spain but investigators said the clinic circumvents the rules by recording them as cases of "gynecological emergency."

"We are giving no more information than somebody could find on the Internet or in an international telephone directory," said the charity's Chief Executive Ann Furedi.

The agency receives $20 million a year from taxpayers through the National Health System to give advice and carry out abortions.

The news came as British lawmakers are considering moves to cut the abortion limit back to less than 24 weeks.