Dr Brendan O’Shea, of the Irish College of General Practitioners, has said: “A doctor has an ethical obligation not to allow his or her personal moral standards to influence treatment of patients”. He was speaking to the Irish Independent in response to a concern that women in some parts of the country could face difficulties accessing abortion locally, if groups of GPs decide to opt out of providing the abortion pill on conscience grounds. Dr O’Shea said that “Where the doctor has a conscientious objection to a course of action, they must explain this to the patient and provide the names of other doctors available to the patient”, adding that, “The GP must enable women to reach an informed decision, to minimise emotional disturbance, whatever decision is made, and to lessen the risk of further unwanted pregnancy.”