The head of the main representative body of GPs has asked that the Government respect doctors’ consciences and allow both objection to abortion and to referral. Writing in the journal.ie, Dr Maitiu O Tuathail, GP [1] and President of the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP), said he was a pro-choice doctor who voted for Repeal said he believed that no member of society, whether a doctor or not, should be forced to do anything they do not want to do. “To threaten them with jail on the grounds of conscientious objection is wrong on many levels.” He recommended that legislation copy the conscience provisions of a New Zealand Act [2] that fully protects the rights of all health care professionals who refuse to administer or refer for abortions.
He was writing on foot of a survey of GPs [3] which found that most GPs in the country have a conscientious objection to abortion [4], and a mere 11% of the 880 GPs who were polled said they are prepared to provide abortion services.
Meanwhile, Irish Times columnist Newton Emerson has said conscientious objection to abortion should be entirely prohibited [5]. He said conscientious objection meant “withholding a lawful treatment on personal religious grounds” and he called it “an extraordinary act of discrimination”. Even the fact of GPs being allowed operate an “opt-in” system for abortion “sends an unmistakable signal of continued shame and marginalisation”, to women. He recommended instead the example of Sweden, Finland and Iceland who no longer permit conscientious objection at all.