HSE faces countersuit over crisis pregnancy website

HSE took Eamon Murphy to court over confusingly similar ‘My Options’ service

The HSE has begun High Court proceedings against Eamon Murphy whom it alleges has set up a misleading ‘My Options’ website.
The HSE has begun High Court proceedings against Eamon Murphy whom it alleges has set up a misleading ‘My Options’ website.

A man whom the Health Service Executive (HSE) has taken legal action against over a website which it said was confusingly similar to its crisis pregnancy service “My Options”, has said he will countersue.

Eamon Murphy told The Irish Times he would seek to have the HSE's website closed down.

On Wednesday at the High Court, in an ex-parte (one side only) application, the HSE began proceedings against Mr Murphy whom it alleges has set up a misleading website confusingly similar to the HSE’s crisis pregnancy freephone service “My Options”.

It claims that, through a website entitled www.myoptions.website, Mr Murphy is inappropriately offering pregnancy scans, trying to convince women not to go ahead with abortions or berating those who have chosen to undergo a termination.

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The www.myoptions.website site which the HSE alleges is misleading
The www.myoptions.website site which the HSE alleges is misleading

Late last year, the HSE secured a contract to run a freephone information and confidential counselling service, the first point of contact between it and the public.

Speaking last night, Mr Murphy said he looked forward “to the fake HSE my options.ie site being closed down”.

“They are guilty of criminal negligence under section 21 of the Abortion Act which requires women to be told of all the health risks to them after getting an abortion including breast cancer which has been proven since 1957,” he claimed, although this claim has been discredited.

“We look forward to counter-suing and having that site shut down permanently.”