Abortion row UKIP candidate Geoffrey Clark calls in police to Meopham home
12:48, 20 December 2012
updated: 16:12, 13 November 2019
Police have been called to controversial UKIP candidate
Geoffrey Clark's home after receiving a call about a suspect
vehicle.
Mr Clark, who claimed mothers with babies detected to have
Down's syndrome and other disabilities should have compulsory
abortions, called officers to his Meopham home on Tuesday
evening.
A Kent Police spokesman confirmed they attended his address and
discovered "a few youths in a car" and they were moved on. It is
understood they had nothing to do with him.
It was on the day Mr Clark (pictured left) sparked outrage with comments made in a personal statement on his website that were condemned by charities.
Mr Clark, who today said he had "no concerns" for his
safety, is contesting a Kent County Council division in
Gravesend and a seat in the by-election for the Meopham North seat
on Gravesham council today.
He said today: "I don't believe what has been attributed to me
in the Press.
"I don't believe in eugenics. I have made a mistake on my
website when I referred to spina bifida and Down's syndrome, but
that was in the context that we have a huge national debt problem
and we're increasing it.
"I'm a bit of a forward thinker, an off-the-wall thinker, and
we've got to reduce government spending.
Geoffrey Clark at a
Gravesham polling station today
"I'm still a member of UKIP and what I was saying was, what
expenditure shall we reduce? My own view is that we need to
decrease across the board and that entails the NHS. We need a
review body to find cuts in the NHS and everything should be on the
table.
"I mentioned abortion and my mistake was to use the word
'compulsory'. I didn't know that was eugenics and now I'm being
demonised for a view that I don't hold - it's the review I
want."
Mr Clark had written that the NHS should consider
"compulsory abortion when the foetus is detected as having Down's,
spina bifida or similar syndrome which, if it is born, could render
the child a burden on the state as well as on the family."
He also argued for a referendum on legalising euthanasia and
compulsory advice on euthanasia for those over the age of 80.
UKIP distanced itself from Mr Clark's comments and suspended him
from the party - meaning he would be an independent councillor if
elected.
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