Spain is violating the conscience rights of its doctors and nurses, a public hearing at the Council of Europe in 
Strasbourg yesterday was told yesterday.
The hearing, organised with the support of the European People’s Party, heard that under Spain’s new abortion law, introduced last year, medical practitioners who object to abortion are placed on a registry of objectors.
In addition, Spanish doctors and nurses may have to perform abortion under certain circumstances regardless of their own beliefs.
The Spanish law is very similar to what was proposed in the McCafferty report last year which was rejected by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
That report called for the establishment of a register of conscientious objectors in respect of doctors and nurses, and for doctors and nurses to have to perform abortions in ‘emergency’ cases.
The hearing was organised by the Spanish Defense Association of Conscientious Objection and the European Centre for Law & Justice.
The hearing heard that in practice it can be difficult for a doctor or nurse to have their name registered as a conscientious objector, in which case it becomes even more difficult for them to refuse to perform an abortion if instructed.
GPs have no right of conscientious objection. They are required to refer a woman to an abortion provider if that if what she wants.
They are required to sign a certificate of visitation, which women need to show the abortion provider before an abortion can be performed.
In Sweden, doctors and nurses have no right of conscientious objection with respect to abortion, and the Swedish parliament has instructed the Swedish members of the Council of Europe to campaign in favour of the McCafferty report in its original form.
In a growing number of jurisdictions the conscience rights of doctors and nurses is coming under attack, as is the pro-life ethos of religious-run hospitals.