Preparations for the Government’s vast new abortion regime have ramped up over the last few days after the Seanad voted late Thursday night to pass the abortion bill. Not a single amendment was made to the bill that had already been passed by the Dail so it now goes to the President for his signature so as to turn it into law. Dr Peter Boylan tried to reassure pro-choice voters in a radio interview Friday that abortions would be available from the Minister’s deadline of January 1st.
Doctors too began receiving training over the weekend with Minister for Health Simon Harris opening a training day for more than 60 GPs. The ICGP will provide similar training courses ‘online’ this coming week.Only a small minority of GPs wish to provide abortions and hundreds have a strong conscientious objection. They will not prescribe abortion pills or refer women to doctors who will because abortion ends the life of one of their patients.
Clinical guidelines are set to be published only today by The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP). They will circulate guidelines to all their members as part of the preparations for the new law.
