Doctors who opt out of performing abortions will have to provide follow-up care for women who have had the procedure, under new ethics guidelines for the profession. However, in practice almost no pro-life doctors object to this because it is not regarded as assisting with abortion in any way.

Doctors “must provide care, support and follow-up for patients who have had a lawful procedure, treatment or form of care to which you have a conscientious objection”, according to the ninth edition of the Medical Council’s guide on ethics and professional conduct, to come into effect next January.

“Conscientious objection may arise in a number of different situations. The revised guide does not assume links to any one treatment, procedure or form of care,” a spokeswoman responded when asked if the change would affect doctors opting out of providing abortions.

The additional provision on conscientious objection is one of many changes to the guide, which was last updated in 2019.