More than 350 nurses and midwives have urged Minister for Health Simon Harris to open talks on providing for conscientious objection in the forthcoming abortion legislation.

Mary Fitzgibbon, a nurse and midwife, said the group want the right to object to assisting abortions. They have likewise asked that they should not be forced to refer a woman on to another healthcare professional for the same objectionable procedure.

Ms Fitzgibbon said that those who signed the petition have a “conscientious commitment to life. We respect and defend the dignity of every stage of human life and we have a responsibility to make every valid or reasonable effort to protect the life and health of pregnant women and their unborn babies,” she said.

“For us, as nurses and midwives, participation in termination of pregnancy . . . is morally objectionable and conflicts with our conscientious commitment to life,” added Ms Fitzgibbon.

She said that participation includes “supervision, delegation, planning or supporting of staff involved in termination pregnancy”.

“We don’t want to be discriminated against by our employers or victimised as employees in exercising” that right, she said.