Bishop Tom Williams, chairman of the Healthcare Reference Group of Britain’s Catholic bishops’ conference, is encouraging Catholic physicians and others to respond to the General Medical Council’s draft guideline on personal beliefs and medical practice. Bishop Williams warned that the document is likely to produce an “atmosphere of fear” among physicians who are religious believers. The General Medical Council is the state agency that regulates the medical profession. [Catholic Herald]
Category: United Kingdom
Artificial reproduction extended in United Kingdom
Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has directed the National Health Service (NHS) to provide artificial reproduction at public expense to homosexual couples and to women up to the age of 42. The change was preceded by the abolition of a legal requirement that a child’s need for a father be taken into account when assessing requests for treatment [The Telegraph].
Scots women to get birth control pill direct from pharmacists
An Aberdeen pharmacy has become the first in the country to offer birth control pills directly from a specially trained pharmacist, thus avoiding the need to obtain prescriptions from physicians. The new scheme will be tested in a Boots the Chemist outlet, and will be available to women who are at least16 years of age. [Scotsman]
U.K. health authority fails in bid to force nurse to work into abortion facility
The National Health Service Trust in the Midlands has given up its attempt to force an objecting nurse to work in an abortion facility attached to a hospital. The nurse, citing the protection of conscience provision in the Abortion Act, refused to do so. She was threatened with dismissal, but the Trust backed down when it received a letter from her lawyer and consulted legal counsel.[LifeSiteNews]
British General Medical Council proposes to force physicians to set aside “personal beliefs”
Britain’s General Medical Council has released a draft document for consultation that proposes to force physicians to facilitate practices to which they object for reasons of conscience by helping patients find someone who will provide the procedures. The proposal would also prohibit physicians from explaining their beliefs to patients “in ways that. . . are likely to cause them distress” – a subjective requirement open to abuse by disgruntled patients. Comments are sought from 18 April, 2012 to 13 June, 2012. [Document] [GMC] [Bioedge]