Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Government seems to maintain that the freedom of conscience provision in the Bill is operating. That is patently false, as evidenced by the simple fact that huge numbers of doctors have publicly said there are not enough of them. This also applies to pharmacists, midwives, nurses, carers and all other healthcare professionals. The Minister should be aware of what happened at the EGM of the Irish College of General Practitioners at the weekend. A large number of GPs walked out at the meeting because of the attitude of those conducting it. There are photographs and videos of the event that show an almost empty room while the issues were being discussed because a majority of GPs had left in protest. The Government must listen to GPs on this issue. There are huge concerns about how it is being dealt with.

For decades medical professions have operated a two-patient model. In treating a pregnant woman a GP has two patients - the mother and her baby. Under the proposed legislation, GPs will be forced to refer both patients to another GP in order that one of them - the baby - will have his or her life ended. Surely it is not difficult to see why so many GPs have a problem with this. How can be it a surprise to the Minister or anyone else that doctors might object to having to refer a patient to another doctor to have his or her life ended?

There is a very disturbing truth at the heart of this issue. The Minister and other pro-abortion campaigners will not admit that they think doctors should have the right in the first place to object to involvement in abortions. Pro-abortion campaigners view abortion as good, a right to which women are entitled and think any doctor who cannot see this is clearly in the wrong and should be brought to heel. That is the attitude that has pervaded the abortion debate in many countries in recent decades. Legal actions have been mounted against the rights of medical professionals to opt out of abortion services. In the United States there have been concerted efforts to dump such doctors out of the profession. This has resulted in a huge drop-off in the level of interest among young people who are thinking about entering the medical profession owing to their fears that they will be pressurised into taking part in an abortion. Are we going to see a similar pattern here? Thankfully, the tide may be turning on this issue internationally. Recent decisions of the Supreme Court in the United Kingdom and Norway were strong rulings in favour of the right of healthcare professionals to refuse to participate in abortions.

The very notion that GPs should be forced to provide abortion services in their practices is reprehensible. Why can we not operate an opt-in system, as is the case in New Zealand? Under this method, the approximately 25% of GPs who wish to provide a service could do so. It would surely give enough coverage in each county for the service to be carried out. The National Association of General Practitioners has already called for the introduction of an opt-in system and has stated the provision of abortion services should not become a standard part of GP practice. It seems that the Minister and the Government want to ignore both positions. An opt-in system for GPs is operated in other areas. For example, GPs can choose to opt in or out of the medical card scheme. Some 1.6 million people have a medical card, yet GP practices can opt in or out of the service. The Government has estimated that 12,000 abortions will be performed per year, yet all GPs are being forced to either provide a service or make a referral. Allowing GPs to opt out of the medical card scheme has not led to its collapse. Why is the Government persisting with the notion that abortion services will be untenable unless all GPs provide them? What is the reason for the difference in treatment?

It seems that the Government is trying to prove a point. The Minister and the Government view the introduction of abortion services as being so important and vital and such a great advantage in the provision of healthcare that GPs must be brought to heel from day one. We should provide for the introduction of an opt-out system in order that the public at large would know which GP will and will not provide a service. This would prevent the need for a fundamental attack on a doctor's freedom of conscience by forcing him or her to refer. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health is frightened by this matter because it exposes how unprepared the health system is for the introduction of abortion services on the scale envisaged. Representatives of the medical profession were in unanimous agreement that the health system was totally unprepared for the introduction of abortion services in January.

Medical facilities are lacking in training, resources, equipment and so on. We read in The Irish Times this morning that regulations governing this area will not be ready for January's deadline either. Why on earth is this legislation being rushed through in these circumstances? Would we rush in any other medical treatment or programme without the proper personnel, equipment and resources being in place? Let us say, for argument's sake, that a new screening programme for a form of cancer was to be introduced. Would we do this without having adequate personnel, equipment, training and monitoring in place? The very notion is ridiculous. To operate health policy in this way would amount to gross negligence and would expose women to danger. In rolling out abortion services in such a hurry, that is exactly what we are doing. I strongly support the amendment. The Oireachtas needs to trust the judgment of doctors in all cases and must not compel them to act against their conscience.

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