Sir, – Further to "Ireland's new abortion service is the envy of many healthcare systems" (Opinion & Analysis, February 21st), Dr Mark Murphy notably did not name the envious countries.
It is clear that Dr Murphy is motivated both to provide and to contribute to the development of a safe and quality abortion service in primary care. Allowing time to hear from the women using the service and to see the results of a formal review process are key. These will be better measures of success than a perceived envy by other countries or a doctor-centric description of professional reward experienced by abortion providers at this early stage.
Dr Murphy asserted that on May 25th, 2018, the medical profession “found its voice”. What happened on that date is that the people of Ireland democratically voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment. As regards doctors’ “involvement”, the Government unilaterally decided GPs would be key providers. To suggest some sort of profession-wide call to duty is not borne out by fact. After much division and unrest within the GP profession, only a small minority of GPs actually chose to provide abortion services.
It shouldn’t surprise Dr Murphy that many GPs (including supporters of repeal) will not be able to identify with his language of enthusiasm and pride in providing a service that ends intra-uterine human life. Furthermore, despite his optimism, many GPs will not confuse the political expediency on this issue with meaningful resourcing of primary care or respect for those providing it.
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Many within the medical profession are yet to be convinced that a 12-week unrestricted abortion service is healthcare, as opposed to rushed, politically sponsored medicalisation of another social issue. – Yours, etc,
Dr MARIA MOY,
Lough Eske,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – Dr Mark Murphy states that doctors who are opposed to abortion are in no way affected by the new service and their conscientious right to objection is respected.
In fact, doctors who have a conscientious objection are legally compelled to make arrangements for the transfer of care of the pregnant woman concerned to someone who will terminate the pregnancy. For doctors who cherish human life from its origins, that is tantamount to making them accomplices in taking the life of a developing baby.
This is an abuse of conscience and contrary to the practice of medicine in the spirit of the Hippocratic oath which prohibits the direct intentional taking of human life.
Dr Murphy, who you omitted to mention is on the staff of the department of general practice at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, is one of a minority of GPs in Ireland who have signed up to provide abortion services; the vast majority of GPs have not done so – 274 was the figure recently reported by the HSE.
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of a pro-life group; although as an ordinary citizen, I have consistently advocated for the life of the developing baby to be legally protected and have voted accordingly. – Yours, etc,
Dr NOREEN O’CARROLL,
(Lecturer in Medical
Ethics, RCSI),
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.