Category: Ireland

Psychiatrists given clear guidelines on abortion law: HSE

Irish Independent

Eilish O’Regan

The HSE says it has issued “clear guidance” to the heads of mental health services “detailing and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of psychiatrists in cases where a pregnant woman is seeking an abortion on grounds of suicide risk.

The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act allows for abortion where a woman is assessed as suicidal on the opinion of two psychiatrists and an obstetrician.

But an internal HSE document, overseen by Philip Crowley, the HSE national director for quality improvement, warned of the failure to always secure a psychiatrist locally to give the necessary second opinion.

In some cases this stage is having to be bypassed and the woman must go before a review panel to assess her case. . . [Full Text]

Obstetricians and gynaecologists back Eighth committee’s recommendations

Fianna Fáil Senator Catherine Ardagh says intervention by doctors’ group is ‘significant’

Irish Times

Elaine Edwards, Fiach Kelly

The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has said it supports the recommendations of the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution that article 40.3.3 be removed from the Constitution.

The amendment gives effect to the State’s ban on abortion.

In a short statement issued as the Cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss the committee’s report and recommendations last month, the institute said it looked forward to continuing to assist “in informing legislation to enhance women’s health and safety”. . . . [Full Text]

Healthcare Professionals As Agents of Healing

From Welcoming Children with Disability

Conference on Abortion, Disability and the Law
Jointly Hosted By Anscombe Bioethics Centre & Consultative Group on Bioethics of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, 20 October, 2017

Bishop Kevin Doran*

I find that people are sometimes surprised when I say that the Church is not against death. The reality, however, is that death is part of the human condition. It is an essential element of the Church’s mission to help people to prepare for death, in the hope of the Resurrection. The first references to this, our “ultimate end” are already to be found in the Rite of Baptism. So, we are not against death. But we do see each human life as a gift from God, which is not ours to dispose of. . . Full Text

Dáil committee not open-minded on Eighth Amendment, says bishop

Bishop Kevin Doran says health workers ‘have no recourse to conscientious objection’

Irish Times

Patsy McGarry

The Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment “would appear to have long since made up its mind” on repealing the constitutional ban on abortion, Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran has said.

The chairman of the Catholic bishops’ consultative group on bioethics empathised with people who did not wish to co-operate with its proceedings. . .

Bishop Doran was speaking to The Irish Times at a conference, Abortion, Disability, and the Law, in Athlone on Friday. . .

Earlier Bishop Doran told the conference that the manner in which conscientious objection was being interpreted “in the so-called Protection of Life in Pregnancy Act gives rise to real concern”.

Doctors and nurses “are allowed under the Act to opt out of providing or participating in abortion, provided they refer the patient to someone else who will perform the procedure”, he said. “In other words, they are still required to participate in what they believe to be fundamentally immoral. Healthcare administrators have no recourse to conscientious objection.” [Full text]

 

Doctors for Life Ireland Statement on Conscientious Objection

1. The practice of medicine is a service to human dignity and doctors must adhere to the highest standards of professional competence in treating, protecting and advocating for patients.

2. In the course of their work on behalf of patients, doctors have the right not to participate in procedures which, in conscience, they believe to be wrong.

3. Doctors should not, by action or omission, deliberately shorten a patient’s life. Doctors must respect a patient’s fully-informed decision to refuse life-sustaining treatment or to request withdrawal of medical treatment.

4. Doctors have the right to refuse applications for referral for treatments to which they object in conscience.

5. Doctors have an obligation to provide care in emergencies, even if the condition results from a procedure to which the doctor has a conscientious objection.

6. Doctors have an obligation to explain the reasons for their conscientious objection with clarity and courtesy to patients and colleagues. Patients have a right to see another doctor and to be given impartial information as to how they can exercise that right. [Full text]