Protection of Conscience Project News
Service, not Servitude
The Business Post
The issue of GP-led abortion services has proved highly contentious for various reasons including conscientious objection, workload and an existing services contract perceived by many to be sub-standard
The professional body for GPs is facing the threat of legal action from its members if it does not row back on its refusal to hold and extraordinary general meeting on the provision of abortion services. . .[Full text]
The Irish Times
The board of the Irish College of General Practitioners, the professional body for general practice in Ireland, has refused for the second time requests from some of its members to hold an emergency general meeting to debate motions on abortion.
Why is the ICGP so afraid of democracy? This is only the latest twist in a long-running saga that began when Simon Harris announced in a radio interview that abortion services were to be GP-led.
This was the first that GPs had heard of it. They were already over-worked, highly stressed and leaving the profession in droves. Many were stunned that there had been absolutely no consultation with GPs. . . [Full text]
Irish Medical Times
December 2, 2018 was a significant date in the history of the College for many reasons, when 310 members of the College attended an Extraordinary General Meeting convened by the College Board. This article provides an explanation on the background to the meeting and why the EGM as originally requested was not held.
I also describe the journey the College has been on since the Referendum result on the May 25, 2018. . .[Full text]
The Irish Times
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]
Irish Examiner
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]