Inspections by the Care and Quality Commission of 250 abortion facilities in England found that, in as many as 50 of them, consent forms for abortion were being pre-signed by physicians. In addition, the Daily Mail disclosed the practice of sex selective abortions by some physicians, who now face discipline from the General Medical Council. Report of these incidents have triggered complaints from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and abortion activists. They are concerned that few physicians are willing to train to do abortions and that it is difficult to find any who will perform the procedure. The groups fear that public protest and controversy will “put doctors and nurses off becoming involved” in the service. They state that most National Health Service physicians will not do abortions beyond 12 to 14 weeks; only a small number of physicians in the country will do later abortions. “It’s probably not a dozen people in the country who are doing the ones around 20 weeks and beyond.” 17 gynaecologists, academics and consultants expressed similar concerns in a letter in The Guardian, expressing distress at the prospect that physicians might be disciplined or prosecuted for unethical or illegal practices.[The Guardian]
Category: Procedures & Services
Quebec euthanasia proposal challenged as unbalanced
Margaret Somerville, founding Director of McGill University’s Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, criticizes the report of Quebec’s Select Committee on Dying with Dignity on the ground that it is unbalanced “and reads rather like a pro-euthanasia manifesto.” She notes that two thirds of the submissions received by the Committee opposed euthansia. [The Gazette]
Pharmaceutical Hippocratic Oath
The Pharmaceutical Hippocratic Oath has been prepared by Reprieve, an organization in the United Kingdom that works to ensure fair judicial processes around the world. The group places special emphasis on cases involving capital punishment. The oath includes the following statement:
“We dedicate our work to developing and distributing pharmaceuticals to the service of humanity; we will practice our profession with conscience and dignity; the right to health of the patient will be our first consideration; we condemn the use of any of our pharmaceuticals in the execution of human beings.”
Some of the issues associated with the campaign it are relevant to freedom of conscience for health care workers, especially pharmacists. They include the problem of complicity, degrees of participation and the apparent appeal to a de facto corporate conscience.
Compulsory referral for euthanasia recommended in Quebec
The Select Committee on Dying with Dignity has tabled a report unanimously recommending “relevant legislation be amended” to allow euthanasia in the province of Quebec. The Committee also recommends that objecting physicians be forced to refer for the procedure. According to the recommendations, conscientious objections by nurses will be allowed, but it does not indicate whether or not they should be compelled to participate in or facilitate the procedure by referral or other means. The Committee recommends that codes of ethics for physicians and nurses be amended accordingly. The recommendations are available in English, but the report will not be available in English until May [Quebec National Assembly].
Increasing medical alteration of disabled children
Surgical and pharmaceutical treatment to limit the growth of disabled children is becoming more frequent. A British newspaper has identified a dozen families involved in them. Such procedures first came to public notice about five years ago, when a severely disabled nine year old girl living near Seattle was subjected to a series of medical procedures to prevent her from growing further. [The Guardian]