Plans by the BBC to broadcast a two hour radio special from a family planning clinic have been attacked by an anti-abortion group.
The programme, to be hosted by BBC Radio 5 Live's Victoria Derbyshire, will be broadcast in May, according to a report by the Independent.
It is planned to include interviews with women considering or undergoing abortions, as well as the staff at the clinic including doctors and counsellors.
The clinic will be identified in the programme, the Independent said.
Derbyshire told the paper that the makers appreciated the "sensitivity" of the issue but believed it would provide an insight into a cultural "taboo".
Anti-abortion groups attacked the plans, and the timing of the show given an ongoing investigation by the Department of Health into claims abortions were offered on the basis of gender.
LIFE Spokesman Mark Bhagwandin said: “We have to wonder about the objectives behind this programme.
"The BBC position that it wants to do this show because abortion is taboo is most baffling, when we consider there are over 500 abortions performed every day."
The group said that the BBC was providing "free advertising" at a time when clinics are "reeling from recent allegations of improper conduct".
"We strongly urge the BBC not to proceed with this programme."
The BBC reportedly notes the sensitivity of the issue in its ethical guidelines, saying "very few are undecided" on the subject.
An abortion provider's website recently came under a sustained attack by a computer hacker, which resulted in a two years and eight month jail sentence for the 27-year-old man responsible.