Pregnancy agency, Cura in funding dispute

The Crisis Pregnancy Agency will today discuss its "frustration and disappointment" that, after 17 months of negotiations with the Catholic counselling agency Cura on the terms of its funding contract, no agreement has been reached.

Records and correspondence released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information legislation indicate that, after over a year of protracted negotiations between the Irish Episcopal Conference, Cura and the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, the president of Cura Bishop John Fleming is seeking clarification about the agency's statutory mandate.

Discussions have centred on whether Cura would distribute a leaflet which contains information on counselling services which discuss abortion as an option.

Referring to Bishop Fleming's request for clarification about the statutory basis on which the agency was established, its chairwoman Olive Braiden said yesterday: "This a totally new issue being raised for the first time.

"I am disappointed that after all the negotiations and discussions things haven't move on . . . There is no need for clarification on our mandate. It is time for the bishops to make a decision."

Discussions have been ongoing since May 2005 on whether Cura would comply with its service level agreement (SLA) with the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, which provides €600,000 a year to Cura to provide crisis pregnancy counselling. This funding is contingent on Cura complying with its SLA, according to which it must distribute the Positive Options leaflet to women seeking information about abortion services.

Given its Catholic ethos, Cura is not obliged to provide abortion counselling but it had been providing the leaflet which contains information about counselling services which discuss abortion as an option.

However, following the objection of four of its counsellors to providing the leaflet last year, the Episcopal Conference instructed Cura counsellors not to distribute it. Since then, Cura refers women who want to discuss abortion to their GP instead - in breach of the SLA.

Records show the issue was discussed at 11 Crisis Pregnancy Agency board meetings between May 2005 and last June, and at four meetings between the agency, Cura and the IEC. At the three most recent meetings (in June and July) - minutes of which have been released to The Irish Times - the Episcopal Conference continued to assert its view "the use of the Positive Options leaflet in its current format is not acceptable".

A spokesman said the Irish bishops were in Rome at the five-yearly ad limina pilgrimage and were unavailable for comment.