Category: Abortion

Nurses and Midwives for Life Ireland Letter to Irish Health Minister

Dear Mr. Harris,

We are dedicated, hardworking nurses and midwives who care for patients from conception to natural death. We have a conscientious commitment to life which accords with the values inherent in Our Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics. We respect and defend the dignity of every stage of human life and we have a responsibility to make every valid or reasonable effort to protect the life and health of pregnant women and their unborn babies.

We are extremely concerned that the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018, in particular, Part 3 Section 24 (3)*, will seriously impact on our ability to practise. In 2018 two Scottish midwives Mary Doogan and Connie Wood were forced to quit their jobs when they refused to oversee abortions. For the first time this legislation, which differs from the 2013 Act, will permit the intentional ending of the life of the unborn child up to birth. For us as nurses and midwives participation in termination of pregnancy defined in relation to a pregnant woman, as a medical procedure which is intended to end the life of a foetus, is morally objectionable and conflicts with our conscientious commitment to life.

Participation includes any supervision, delegation, planning or supporting of staff involved in termination of pregnancy. We do not want to be discriminated against by our employers or victimised as employees if we exercise our right to freedom of conscience.

We are in the midst of an unprecedented crisis in the Health Service and as yet there has been no effort made by you as Minister for Health to consult the nursing or midwifery professions on the clinical implications of this bill.

We are calling on you as Minister for Health:

(a) to consult our professions in relation to this legislation and

(b) to support the amendments that have been tabled to protect our right to freedom of conscience so we will not be forced out of our professions.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret McGovern RGN Vice Chair,
Catherina O’Sullivan RPN Secretary,
Fiona McHugh, Clinical Paediatric Nurse Specialist
PRO and Nurses and Midwives for Life Ireland

*Section 24 (3) A person who has a conscientious objection referred to in subsection (1) shall, as soon as may be, make such arrangements for the transfer of care of the pregnant woman concerned as may be necessary to enable the woman to avail of the termination of pregnancy concerned.

Midwives and nurses who object to participating in abortions hit out at Minister’s refusal to meet

Irish Examiner

Fiachra Ó Cionnaith

The Nurses&Midwives4Life Ireland group have claimed that Minister for Health Simon Harris and FF leader Micheal Martin have refused to meet them and discuss their concerns over conscientious objection legislation.

The group today said that in three weeks almost 500 nurses and midwives on the NMBI register have signed a petition for Simon Harris calling on him to protect freedom of conscience and to support the amendments in relation to freedom of conscience. . . [Full text]

Conscientious objection: GP abortion meeting ‘bitter, chaotic, uncivil’

Dozens of doctors walked out of event claiming ‘serious crisis’ over abortion services

The Irish Times

Paul Cullen

Bitter, chaotic, uncivil and vitriolic are just some of the words used by doctors to describe the stormy extraordinary general meeting of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) that took place behind closed doors on Sunday.

The meeting highlighted deep divisions within the medical profession on abortion (no less than in the rest of society) and on the specific issue of conscientious objection. . . [Full text]


Queensland demands practitioners facilitate abortion by referral

Sean Murphy*

The Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 came into effect in Queensland, Australia, today.

The bill permits abortion up to 22 weeks gestation for any reason; no medical indications are required (Section 5).  Abortion after 22 weeks gestation may be performed for any reason that two practitioners find acceptable (Section6(1)a), including current and future “social circumstances” (6(2)b).

The bill requires disclosure of objections to abortion by a practitioner when asked by someone (not necessarily a patient) to perform or assist in the performance of an abortion on a woman, to make a decision about whether an abortion should be provided for a woman who is over 22 weeks pregnant (Section 6), or to advise about the performance of an abortion on a woman.

When a woman wants an abortion or advice about an abortion for herself, an objecting practitioner is required to refer or transfer the  care of the woman to someone or an agency willing to provide it (Section 3). 

Practitioners who object to abortion in principle and those who object in particular cases are often unwilling to facilitate the procedure by referral, transfers of care or other means because they believe that this makes them parties to or complicit in an immoral act.  Thus, the provision for conscientious objection in the bill actually suppresses the exercise of freedom of conscience by these practitioners.

Abortion services crisis as GPs walk out

But there are fears legislation will not have been passed by January 1

Irish Examiner

Catherine Shanahan

The prospect of women being able to access abortion services in Ireland in just four weeks’ time is looking increasingly uncertain following the escalation of a row between family doctors and their training body — and the snail’s pace at which the proposed legislation is moving through the Dáil.

An extraordinary general meeting of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) held at the behest of members was thrown into disarray yesterday when dozens of doctors walked out in protest that their views were not being taken onboard ahead of the January 1 deadline for the introduction of abortion. . . [Full text]