Doctors protest at plan for secret vote on abortion on demand
Up to 650 members of leading college revolt over ballot by governing council on decriminalisation
HUNDREDS of doctors are in revolt over plans by a leading medical college to hold a secret ballot over the decriminalisation of abortion.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is believed to be holding a secret vote on whether to lobby for the relaxation of laws governing the medical procedure.
The discovery of the ballot, which will consider the votes of just 33 members of the governing council, has angered a group of more than 650 doctors, who have written a letter to RCOG’S president expressing their concern.
The college’s president, Professor Lesley Regan, believes that abortions should be treated in the same way as other medical procedures, the Daily Mail reported.
The decision to hold a ballot without consulting RCOG’S 6,000-strong membership has prompted an outcry from many in the profession, who warn that the college risks severe reputational damage if it adopts Prof Regan’s position as its official stance.
It is understood that if the council votes in favour of Prof Regan’s position, the RCOG will start lobbying the Government for a change in the law.
Under the Abortion Act 1967, women can request a termination up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. Those deemed to be at risk of suffering serious health problems may request an abortion at anytime during their pregnancy. Before an abortion can proceed, two doctors must ensure that the requirements of the Act are fulfilled, and they must both sign the relevant certificate.
However, it is understood that the RCOG’S proposals would result in the protocols being relaxed so that just one doctor’s consent is required.
Extracts of the letter sent by the group, seen by the Mail, claim that Prof Regan’s views are “extreme” and urges that the ballot be extended to the college’s full membership.
It adds: ‘It is completely unacceptable that all members of the RCOG have not been given the opportunity to vote on this significant change in policy and you have refused to release the wording of the motion until after the general council have voted on this motion.
“We represent a variety of positions on the issue of abortion, but believe this motion is out of keeping with both our duties as responsible professionals and the expressed wishes of British women with regards to the legality and regulation of abortion.
“This move to introduce a radical abortion law is being promoted by a small group of campaigners with extreme views on abortion. Whilst they are entitled to hold the convictions they do we must not let them impose their agenda on the RCOG and risk severely damaging its reputation.”
A spokesman for the RCOG said it supported the rights of women to receive “high-quality abortion care”, adding that the vote would not focus on the “gestational limits” for abortion as specified in the Act. They added that the college would continue to support doctors with “strongly held beliefs” who refuse to perform terminations.