Ethics, terminations and Doctors.....

A family doctor who is a leading campaigner against abortion is facing an inquiry by the General Medical Council after allegations that she breached ethical guidelines by trying to dissuade patients from having a termination.......

Read more here:-

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_ne...209023,00.html

There is a lot of controversial topics out there and it's hard for doctors to stay unbiased at times. If this woman has openly declared herself as a conscientious objector, I'm not sure why she sees herself able to counsel her patients on it? I remember when I moved to Texas and went and saw my doctor for the first time and she and I were just discussing different issues (basically getting to know each other). She informed me that if I ever needed the morning after pill, to call and just tell the receptionist that I was ill and needed to see the doctor asap. She said her receptionist would refuse to schedule a person for the morning after pill. I very much respect an individual's right to choose, but I also feel that if you aren't comfortable dealing with something, then you need to step back and allow someone else to deal with it.

It's hard to tell if these women came to her specifically because they knew her position or if she was using her position as a "front-line" attack against abortion? I would expect a doctor to be very up front and honest about her views if she is going to counsel a woman to try and talk them out of it.

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Sasha, Doula, Mama, Wife, Student Midwife

Three little wild boys and one soldier husband

Going ahead with a pregnancy or terminating a pregnancy is, in my view, the womans business, its their body, their right to choose and as health professionals we need to be clear about our professional ethics in such situations. Of course we all hold personal views but being at work isnt about your own personal view its about doing the job you are trained to do to the best of your ability, with the highest respect and regard for client care. The article above appears that the Dr was using her postion to influence womens rights to choose.... what do you guys think? is it ethical? but then its protecting a life? but then is it fair to the women?....

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J
StudentMidwife.NET Founder & Director

"You're braver than you believe. Stronger than you seem. And smarter than you think."
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I agree with you, J ™. I am pro-choice for many reasons, one being that as long as abortion is legal, then the women who decide to not carry out a pregnancy have somewhere safe to go, instead of back alleys or attempting to do it themselves (my grandmother has lots of horrible stories of women she saw while a nurse when abortion was illegal. As such, even though she does not personally think abortion is the answer, she knows that if a woman really doesn't want to have a baby, they can become desperate and really hurt themselves, so she supports abortion as being legal and does not judge those women who choose it).

Whatever my beliefs, I feel that each person must decide for themselves and I have always tried to be unbiased. And I feel that if a health professional deems it necessary to use their influence to persuade a woman to do what they think is morally right, then they need to step aside and allow the woman to be counselled by someone who is unbiased and will offer accurate information and support a woman's decision.

As a doula, one thing that I've noticed about myself is that breastfeeding is very important to me. There are moms out there who don't even want to try for various reasons. I have decided that when women truly don't even want to try, then I am more than happy to offer names of other doulas who may be a better fit. I don't want to make mom feel guilty or bad because I do have very strong views on it, and I'm in the position to be able to recommend other doulas. As a homebirth mw, I'll be in the same position. If I was working in a place like at the hospital, where my patients were assigned to me, it would be different and I'd have to step back and accept it.

This doctor was in a position where she could have easily said that she had very strong views on the topic and give a recommendation for another physician who was more unbiased. I will never be upset at a person who is pro-life, because I believe every person has the right to choose which side of the fence they are on. I just have a very hard time when people try to force their ideals and values on other people. It's not my job to try and persuade people to do what *I* personally think is right or wrong, it's my job to give true and accurate information and allow the women who seek my care to make an informed decision. If there is an area that I feel I cannot support a certain decision, then I step back and allow that woman to see someone who is not as biased as I am.

Okay, I'm rambling a lot. Sorry. I've got a head cold and it's making everything fuzzy, heehee.

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Sasha, Doula, Mama, Wife, Student Midwife

Three little wild boys and one soldier husband