Legal framework for abortion service is an insult to the women of Ireland
I AM an Irish general practitioner. I am an elected member of the Irish Medical Council. I write to you as a doctor and as an Irish citizen, and I do not propose to represent the views of either of these institutions, however I wish to make the following points.
Presently the governing institutions of Irish medicine, the ICGP and the IMC, are in the process of working out the practical and ethical guidelines for the Termination of Pregnancy Act that has recently passed through the Oireachtas.
Those GPs who have signed and are contemplating signing the contract to provide this service should think long and hard about the ethics of what the Irish Government has foisted upon general practice.
I am not in any way referring to the ethics of abortion, but rather to the political ineptitude behind the current legislation.
Any GP who offers abortion services in Ireland must do so in the context of the gross reality that abortions are to be provided free of charge to all women, whilst at the same time contraception must be paid for to the tune of circa €100 (consultation and prescription charge) for all women and young girls not in possession of a medical card.
The population of females in Ireland of reproductive age is in the region of 1.2 million. Some 30-40pc of these females may have entitlement to a medical card under the current GMS scheme. A young girl in Ireland, if she is living at home and entitled to a medical card, cannot apply independently for one, and must do so through her parents/guardians in order to be means tested for eligibility. Regardless of one’s opinion on the matter of abortion, to offer free abortions in the context of charging women and girls for contraception is, to say the least, morally repugnant.
If a young girl is being abused by her guardian(s) she must appeal to them for access to healthcare and contraception. A woman who is not eligible for a medical card but who is financially dependent upon her partner, must appeal to him for the means to pay for contraception. However, all women of reproductive age can obtain an abortion free of charge.
The fee to be paid to a doctor for a medical termination conducted over three to four visits is €450, whist the fee paid for the management of a pregnancy over eight to 10 visits is circa €250.
This means that a GP is paid circa €110 per visit to terminate a pregnancy, whilst he/she is paid circa €25 per visit, to manage a pregnancy.
The provision of abortion services in this context is an insult to the women of Ireland. GPs are expected to provide abortions, whilst at the same time operate a service that prevents females from accessing contraception and sexual health, without financial, social and bureaucratic impediments. Presently in many cases women are denied access to contraception and sexual health, without male consent.
What is occurring here is morally and socially dysfunctional. The familiar and grotesque expedience of ‘winning votes’ at the expense of competent political leadership is thoroughly exposed. Dr Marcus de Brun GP
Rush, Co Dublin