Healthcare workers refused the right to act accoring to their consciences

The Victorian parliament voted against the right of healthcare workers not to participate in abortion or refer for abortion. [VicHansard 4245-4264]

A woman walks into a doctors office and asks for an abortion.  The doctor replies I don't perform abortions, you will have to go somewhere else.

Is this unreasonable?  The woman is not dying.  The doctor is not denying lifesaving treatment.  He or is simply telling the woman he does not perform the procedure she wants done. 

Victorian law requires doctors to perform the abortion themselves or refer to a doctor who will do it.  This law has prevented pro-life healthcare workers from being hired by the woman's hospital. "Dr Mark Durie, minister of St Mary's Caulfield, said staff were finding it hard to cope with a reported six-fold increase in late-term abortions at the Women's since abortion was decriminalised in Victoria two years ago. He said because conscientious objection by medical staff was now illegal, the hospital could employ only people who endorsed late-term abortions."[1]

What's the big deal you may ask?  The doctor is not forced to perform an abortion, just refer the patient on.  What right does a doctor have to impose his beliefs on a patient.  This sounds reasonable, but,  put another way we see that in forcing a doctor to refer the patient on the doctor becomes complicit in the abortion procedure, he becomes part of the process, and the life of the baby is on his conscience.

Is it really right to force a healthcare worker to be involved in abortion if it is again their beliefs?  Is it so hard for a woman to find a pro-choice doctor on her own?

Parliamentarians were given a conscience vote on the issue of abortion.  In this matter of life and death our law makers are released from party policy and given the option to vote according to their conscience.  And they voted that healthcare workers would not be allowed to exercise their consciences when dealing with matters of abortion.

Do you think healthcare workers should have the right to exercise their conscience in regards to abortion? 
Then let the politicians know:
http://www.lifevote.org.au/

Next Post: The Victorian parliament voted Against banning late-term and partial-birth abortion. [VicHansard 3498-3506]

No information about the risks

The Victorian parliament voted against providing information on the health risks of abortion. [VicHansard 3629-3631] 

Whenever a person undergoes a surgical procedure they have to give informed consent.  Whenever, that is, except for abortion.  What makes abortion so special that women are not required to be made aware of the risks and potential complications? A person cannot make a good decision if they do not know all the facts.

The risks of abortion include:

• Increased risk of breast cancer. http://www.lifenews.com/2010/10/23/nat-6787/
• Uterine perforation and damage to other organs surrounding the uterus.
• Retained products of conception (that is bits of the baby or placenta remain inside the woman's uterus).
• Excessive bleeding which can require surgery to repair.
• Uterine or pelvic infection.
• Fallopian Tube infection which can cause scarring and  infertility.
• Continued pregnancy (yep sometimes a baby gets left behind).
• Cervix is cut or damaged.  This can lead to miscarriage or premature birth if the cervix is no longer strong enough to stay closed the entire pregnancy.  The risk is greater after multiple abortions.
• Scarring of the uterine wall, this can make it harder for a future pregnancy to implant and increases the risk of placenta previa, where the placenta is over the cervix instead of at the top or sides of the uterus.
• Anaesthesia always carries risks including heart attack, convulsions and, rarely, death.
• If general anaesthesia is used it relaxes the uterus and make it easier to perforate.

Side effects of mifepristone/misoprostol include gastrointestinal discomfort (cramps, nausea and diarrhea) and dizziness, weakness, chills and headaches. 2 - 5 percent will either still be pregnant, have an incomplete abortion, or have excessive bleeding.  For these woman a surgical procedure will be needed to complete the abortion.  Because of the danger involved in an incomplete abortion it is vital that women are followed up to ensure the abortion was complete.

Many women suffer with emotional and psychological problems after experiencing abortion. Some of these problems are depression, acute feeling of grief and fear of disclosure, eating disorders, suicide tendencies, anxiety and also increased consumption of alcohol and drugs. "A large-scale, authoritative Scandinavian study establishes post-pregnancy death rates within one year that are nearly four times greater among women who abort their pregnancies than among women who bear their babies. The suicide rate is nearly six times greater among aborting women than among women who give birth." [1]

http://www.womenhealthzone.com/womens-reproductive-health/does-abortion-affect-your-health-know-about-abortion-risks/
http://www.realoptions.net/abortion_risks.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/01/02/1136050394322.html
http://www.alternet.org/story/148491/10_facts_you_must_know_about_non-surgical_abortion


What is a doctors responsibility in regard to consent under normal consequences?

• "The concept of informed consent has been clarified and broadened by the Supreme Courts of the United States and Canada, as well as by courts in other western countries.
• The courts have ruled that doctors have a "continuing duty" to be familiar with up-to-date information about potential and developing risks of treatments or procedures in order to inform patients properly.
• The standard of disclosure has shifted to what a "reasonable or prudent" patient might want to know about a procedure, rather than what a "reasonable" doctor might disclose.
• Common but minor risks must be disclosed, while rare risks must be disclosed if the consequences are potentially serious or fatal.
• The doctor must also ensure that the patient has understood what he or she has been told.
• Doctors who fail to inform their patients about the documented risks associated with induced abortion may be liable to prosecution in the courts." [1]

Do you think women deserve to know the risks before having an abortion? 
Then let the politicians know:
http://www.lifevote.org.au/

Next Post: The Victorian parliament voted against the right of healthcare workers not to participate in abortion or refer for abortion. [VicHansard 4245-4264]

Life Happens

I have been ill.  In fact I still am.  I do not have the energy to put the time into this I want to and the state election looms so I will finish these posts quickly and if time permits come back and add more references and statistics to support my case.

In the mean time please watch this before you vote on Nov 27.

A story about life