Margaret Forrester

A Christian mental health worker has effectively been suspended by her employers for voicing her opinion to colleagues (not patients) on the risks involved in abortions and sharing a booklet with them containing stories of the devastating impact of abortion on their lives.

Margaret Forrester has worked for Central North West London Mental Health Trust for over two years and the NHS for over 7 years. Earlier in November she was on a temporary secondment and sat next to two health workers whose job is to advise women on abortions. She felt that women seeking abortions were not given all of the information and alternatives available to help them make an informed decision, so she gave a small booklet to her co-workers called 'Forsaken' which documents the testimonies of women who have been impacted by abortions.

Soon afterwards Margaret was called into a meeting with her manager with no warning, interrogated over her views and suspended from work. This was then changed to special leave with pay and then she was required to sit in an office and not work.

Margaret does not work with family planning issues and appears to have been discriminated against due to her beliefs. She faces a disciplinary hearing at 2.30pm on Wednesday 22 December for 'distributing materials some people may find offensive' and may well be sacked.

Please pray for Margaret. These events reveal the incredible intolerance that is sometimes displayed against Christians and the constant pressure that Christians face in the workplace contrary to their freedom of conscience and freedom of speech.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre, said:

"It is staggering that to voice an opinion to colleagues and pass out a booklet could cost you your job. The level of intolerance in the public sphere, particularly in public sector employment, is deeply worrying and suggests that we are living in less and less of a free society. Well known research has confirmed that abortion can be harmful to mothers and there is absolutely nothing wrong with voicing that opinion. Women need to be given fully informed consent about the nature of abortion, as the decision to have an abortion will impact their lives forever. Fully informed consent means that they need to be made aware of all of the risks of having an abortion including the well documented mental health risks. As well as being bad medical practice, freedom of conscience and freedom of speech are being dramatically curtailed in this case. What kind of society do we want to hand to our children? 'Forsaken' is a moderate and simple booklet detailing the personal testimonies of women from Taunton who have attempted to come to terms with their own abortions. We cannot let this kind of intolerance go unchallenged."

A copy of Forsaken can be purchased here.