Owners of the Women's Resource Centre clinic on Dorset Street clashed with pro-choice campaigners who had gathered to highlight the activities of the agency, which they described as "manipulative" and "disgraceful."

"You're not going to get your baby ripped out of your tummy, are you?"

Louise Maguire of the Women's Resource Centre (WRC) pregnancy agency asked one heavily-pregnant protestor as other campaigners shouted her down. "We're not lying to women, we're just giving them the two sides, " said Michael Larkin, head of the WRC and former election candidate for the Christian Solidarity Party. "We give them all the information they need."

Gardai were on standby outside the agency as heated exchanges took place between the two sides.

"This agency tells blatant lies designed to scare vulnerable women in a crisis pregnancy situation, " said Niav Keating, spokeswoman for Choice Ireland, which organised the protest.

"At the moment, there's nothing to stop them doing this."

A Sunday Tribune investigation earlier this week found that women who attend the clinic are given strongly anti-abortion advice under the guise of providing "all the information". A reporter was shown graphic images of foetuses that had been aborted at various stages of pregnancy, and was inaccurately told that abortions could not be carried out until at least the eighth week of pregnancy, "or else something could get left behind".

"We need laws to regulate crisis pregnancy agencies, " said Rosie Toner of the Irish Family Planning Association. "We have called on the government to introduce statutory legislation for all pregnancy advice services to ensure high standards and to prevent misinformation being given to women." The Crisis Pregnancy Agency has urged women in crisis pregnancy situations to attend only state-funded agencies.

The WRC agency has been forced to change its name several times over the past decade following controversies. In 1999, it was at the centre of the High Court 'Baby A' illegal adoption case.