A chara, – My colleague Dr Tom O'Dowd (October 8th) seems perplexed that a medical professional would be allowed to have a conscientious objection to providing information or referral regarding abortion services to patients in distress. He compares this to doctors deciding not to vaccinate or provide services to smokers or drug-users.
One would suggest that Dr O’Dowd is mistaken or even mischievous in his comparison, given that he is comparing life-preserving or life-prolonging treatments with what some might consider the deliberate and wilful termination of a human life.
It is surprising to me that Dr O’Dowd fails to see this contradiction. It is, of course, of vital importance that all members of society have freedom of conscience, and the decision to enter any profession should not impinge on this.
This is notwithstanding the importance of providing competent, compassionate medical care to all, especially those in distress. – Is mise,
Dr ANDREW WALKER,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – Dr Tom O’Dowd completely fails to comprehend the fundamental issue arising for doctors who conscientiously object to any role or participation, whatsoever, in the performance and procurement of abortions.
It is vastly different from a cardiothoracic surgeon theoretically refusing to operate on smokers, etc. For the crux of the matter is categorically that abortion is not “medical treatment”.
Under no circumstances can the deliberate and intentional killing of a preborn human being be justified no matter how “distressed” the person demanding that course of action presents. Deliberate abortion is never morally acceptable or permissible.
People can present as “distressed” in human life for many reasons and, by no means, are all of those reasons grounds for complicity with those persons in their chosen and desired course of action.
It is of crucial importance for healthcare in Ireland that the rights of doctors and nurses to, in conscience, refuse to assist in any way whatsoever in the perpetration of abortions be respected and upheld. – Yours, etc,
Fr PATRICK
McCAFFERTY,
Corpus Christi Parish,
Belfast.