A religious anti-abortion group with links to US pro-life campaigners was included in a leaflet directing patients to 'specialist' counselling services by south-west London's NHS mental health trust.

The Good Counsel Network (GCN) holds near-daily protests outside abortion clinics and its founder has been filmed claiming that abortion creates "a large increased risk in breast cancer"—a suggestion that has been rubbished by doctors. The Catholic group's website said members "speak to clients about God’s plan for them and their baby", while women entering clinics, including the British Pregnancy Advisory Service's (BPAS) premises in Twickenham, must run a gauntlet of demonstrators.

One was filmed by a Channel 4 Dispatches reporter showing her a plastic model of a foetus. But South West London and St George's mental health trust (SWLSTG), which is based at Tolworth and Springfield hospitals, and serves Kingston, Richmond, Sutton, Merton and Wandsworth, included GCN in a leaflet listing 'specialist' services designed for people seeking bereavement counselling. It was created by the trust's spiritual pastoral care team in 2011 and has been seen by this website. GCN mutually supports the Helpers of God's Precious Infants, whose 'pavement counsellors' holds weekly demonstrations outside BPAS' Twickenham and Streatham clinics, accosting women as they approach the centres. The group, which compares clinics to Calvary, where Jesus Christ was crucified, even brings children to stand outside.

The clip will air tomorrow night at 11pm as part of a documentary investigation.

GCN has been contacted for further comment. On its blog it decried "this ongoing attempt by the abortionists and their media stooges to stop pregnant mothers receiving the offer of help and alternative to abortion that so many of them want". A Care Quality Commission report that criticised staff at BPAS' Twickenham clinic for failing to involve hospital staff early enough after serious incidents also noted the presence of anti-abortion protestors outside the clinic "almost every day", and said women were warned about it when booking appointments.