Ten days from the introduction of abortions in some GP surgeries in Ireland, guidelines on properly administering lethal abortion drugs are still not complete. Yesterday, GPs were issued ‘interim’ guidelines by their professional body, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP). The College is silent on the issue of doctors who conscientiously object to abortion having to refer women to doctors who will prescribe the abortion pill.
According to the Irish Times, the guidelines “lack detail in a number of key areas which, the document says, remain ‘in development’. These include detailed referral pathways to secondary care, details on Anti-D availability, and notification and certification forms.”
The ICGP says it has written to Minister for Health Simon Harris over its concerns at the “lack of clarity” around referral pathways to secondary care, when this is required, throughout the country.
The ICGP has been at the centre of a storm of controversy over its refusal to meet with doctors protesting the inadequate provisions for conscientious objection. There are also massive concerns over how GPs are meant to respond in cases where the abortion drugs trigger major complications for the mother.
