Dublin, Ireland, Jul 17, 2019 / 12:01 pm (CNA).- Documents from the Republic of Ireland’s health department show that abortion services are limited at nine of the country’s 19 maternity hospitals, in part due to conscientious objectors.
In a May 2018 referendum, Irish voters repealed a constitutional amendment recognizing the right to life of unborn children and equal to mothers’ right to life. Legislators then enacted legislation allowing legal abortion.
Ireland now permit medical abortions to be performed by general practitioners through nine weeks of pregnancy. Hospitals are allowed to perform surgical abortions through 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, abortions may be performed in “exceptional circumstances.”
The law permits medical professionals who conscientiously object to abortion to refrain from participation in the procedure; however, doctors who object to abortion must refer women to doctors who will perform them.
A statement from the Department of Health, obtained by TheJournal.ie, says that “the HSE [Health Service Executive] has advised that where conscientious objection has arisen in relation to the provision of termination of pregnancy services, hospital groups are working with the hospitals in question to find an appropriate solution.”
Of the nine maternity hospitals that do not offer full abortion services, five are due to to “operational issues”, and four are related to conscientious objection and recruitment, according to an April update sent to the national health department.
Some of the hospitals are small, and have argued that abortion provision there would be unnecessarily expensive.
South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel, about 30 miles south of Thurles, has “the smallest number of births in the country (900 a year) and maternity services represent a small part of its activities; to establish a service in the hospital will require dedicated clinics, which may have little or no demand”, according to one of the documents.
The HSE added that abortion provision at South Tipperary “would not represent optimal use of scarce resources given the proximity of STGH to other hospitals providing the service.”
The health department has said it is “extremely disappointed that, at this stage, there are still only 10 hospitals providing full ToP (termination of pregnancy) services”.
“From the outset the Minister and the Department have been very clear that government policy is to normalise ToP service provision within our maternity hospitals and that services will be provided from all 19 maternity hospitals,” the Department of Health stated.
“In that context, it is not acceptable that the NWIHP [National Women & Infants Health Programme] should seek to defer introduction of the service on the basis of low demand or because of sufficient regional coverage or, indeed, because of preference to provide services on a networked basis.”
Dr. Trevor Hayes, a consultant obstetrician/gynecologist at St. Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny, maintained at a July 6 pro-life rally in Dublin that health minister Simon Harris is “obsessing with abortion” and is “trying to bully good men and women to get involved in their abortion against their conscience.”
Continued pressure to back abortion would force doctors, nurses and other medical professionals out of medicine and add to “the staffing crisis already crippling the health service,” Hayes predicted.
Hayes is one of several consultant colleagues at St. Luke’s who have told management they would not perform abortions. He told that rally that abortion is “a procedure that helps no one and takes the life of the child … Abortion is not life-saving, it’s life-ending. It’s not health care, and no amount of spin can make it health care.”
The health department’s documents show that “it is unlikely” that abortion service will begin at St. Luke’s General Hospital in 2019.
In May, the Irish bishops’ conference objected to job requirements mandating that certain consultant doctors be willing to participate in abortions, saying the country’s abortion law had promised to safeguard conscience rights for medical professionals.
An advertisement for two consultants, for obstetrics/gynecology and anesthesia, at the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin says applicants must be willing to participate in abortions.
“This precondition runs totally counter to a doctor’s constitutional and human right to freedom of conscience,” said the bishops.
The bishops’ conference said such preconditions may rule out the best possible person for the job by eliminating candidates solely because they are unwilling to perform abortions.
“A doctor who is eminently qualified to work as a consultant in these fields is denied employment in these roles because of his/her conscience,” said the bishops.
“Doctors who are pro-life and who may have spent over a decade training in these areas and who may otherwise be the best candidate for these positions are now advised that, should they apply, they would not be eligible for consideration,” they said.
A spokesman for the National Maternity Hospital argued that the specific posts were funded by the HSE for the purpose of abortions.
“They are therefore for individuals willing to contribute to the provision of these services. Other past and future posts are not affected. The conscientious objection guidelines for staff in both hospitals remain unchanged,” the spokesman said, according to RTE.
At least 640 general practitioners in Ireland signed a petition in November objecting to the new obligation of referring patients to other doctors for abortions.
The majority of the country’s 2,500 GPs are unwilling to perform abortions. Only between 4 and 6 percent of GPs have said they would participate in the procedure.
At the July 6 All Ireland Rally for Life, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, said: “I march today because I believe it remains as important as ever to affirm the sanctity of all human life. The direct and intentional taking of the life of any innocent human being is always gravely wrong – we must avoid becoming desensitized to the value of every human life.”
He called for more help for vulnerable women, for mothers and fathers who are in crisis, and for “parents who feel that they have made the wrong choice in having an abortion.”
[…]
By illuminating the fact that The Office Of The MUNUS is “forever”, Pope Benedict illuminated the fact that “The Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter that by His revelation they might make known new doctrine, but that by His assistance they might inviolably keep and faithfully expound the Revelation, the Deposit of Faith, delivered through the Apostles”.
Pope Benedict, by maintaining The Office Of The MUNUS, The Gift Of The Holy Ghost, The Gift Of Infallibility in regards to Faith And Morals, exposed the fact that there existed within the hierarchy of The Catholic Church a counterfeit magisterium that, in denying The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, The Spirit Of Perfect Divine Eternal Love Between The Father And His Only Begotten Son, Jesus The Christ, Who Must Proceed From Both The Father And His Only Begotten Son, Jesus The Christ, In The Ordered Communion Of Perfect Divine Eternal Complementary Love, The Most Holy Blessed Trinity, Pope Benedict exposed the fact that this counterfeit magisterium, which, in denying The Divinity of The Most Holy Blessed Trinity, was attempting to subsist within The One Body Of Christ, while denying The Most Holy Blessed Trinity, In The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, Is The Author Of Love, Of Life, And Of Marriage, and thus Pope Benedict exposed the fact that this counterfeit magisterium, in essence, existed in a state of apostasy, in complete contradiction to The Deposit Of Faith.
Dear Blessed Mother Mary, Mediatrix Of All Graces, Mirror of Justice And Destroyer Of All Heresy, Who Through Your Fiat, Affirmed The Filioque, and thus the fact that There Is Only One Son Of God, One Word Of God Made Flesh, One Lamb Of God Who Can Taketh Away The Sins Of The World, Our Only Savior, Jesus The Christ, thus there can only be, One Spirit Of Perfect Divine Eternal Complementary Love Between The Father And His Only Begotten Son, Jesus The Christ, Who Must Proceed From Both The Father And His Only Begotten Son, Jesus The Christ, In The Ordered Communion Of Perfect Divine Eternal Complementary Love, The Most Holy And Undivided Blessed Trinity (Filioque), hear our Prayer that your Immaculate Heart Will Triumph soon for the sake of Christ, His Church, all who will come to believe, and all our beloved prodigal sons and daughters, who, hopefully, will return to The One Body Of Christ, which exists From The Father, Through, With, And In His Only Son, Jesus The Christ, In The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque) Amen.
Cleverly (!) maybe not quite a “counterfeit magisterium,” but rather a deceptive rupture between intact and formal teachings which are never denied outright (the Magisterium), and actual practice–a schizophrenic ploy of indirect signaling, photo-ops and insinuation–and, as wisely anticipated by St. John Paul II in his encyclical Veritatis Splendor (1993):
“A separation, or even an opposition [!], is thus established in some cases between the teaching of the precept, which is valid and general, and the norm of the individual conscience, which would in fact make the final decision [no longer a ‘moral judgment’!] about what is good and what is evil. On this basis, an attempt is made to legitimize so-called ‘pastoral’ solutions contrary to the teaching of the Magisterium, and to justify a ‘creative’ hermeneutic according to which the moral conscience is in no way obliged, in every case, by a particular negative precept [thou shalt not!]”(n. 56).
And…
“This is the first time, in fact, that the Magisterium of the Church [!] has set forth in detail the fundamental elements of this [‘moral’] teaching, and presented the principles for the pastoral discernment necessary in practical and cultural situations which are complex and even crucial” (n. 115).
And,
“The Church is no way the author or the arbiter of this [‘moral’] norm” (n. 95).
ND: there is only ONE , HOLY, CATHOLIC & APOSTOLIC CHURCH. No parallel magisterium!
Powerful words ND.
“God’s Revolution” is not over yet?
God bless,
CN
Benedict XVI was a good and holy man. He was an inspired teacher whose
sermons, books and reflections touch even ordinary non-theologians. His resignation
was a much lamented setback for the Church.
We were blessed to have two great popes in my lifetime: John Paul II and
Benedict. John Paul II has reached sainthood; hopefully, Benedict will join him.
May I live to see that. !!
In his later years as Pope I became very fond of Benedict XVI- his teaching, graciousness and gentle spirit. I would very much like the Church to begin the long process in examining his cause, and if he measures up, his eventual canonization. In the mean time I will continue to evoke his intercession. I thank God for Benedict XVI!
Please!!! I love BXVI! But enough of the “spirit of Vat II” (note the lower case “s”) led rush to canonize every Pope nowadays! It’s downright scary who is in the batters box after BXVI!!!
Here we go again. Yet another Vatican II Pope canonized. Despite the moral wreckage which they helped–by their negligence–to bring about.
Heroic Sanctity? In someone who delivered us into the hands of Bergoglio?
I’m a huge fan of Ratzinger-Benedict and when I met him in 2003, he was humble and other oriented—not selfish. He might be a future doctor. But let’s hold off. Wisdom says don’t rush, no? Saint Therese took longer. Francis Xavier took far longer. Joan of Arc far longer. The Church thinks and acts in centuries, we used to hear. In my private prayer for nearly 3 years I’ve both prayed for his repose and beseeched his intercession. Give it the required time and trust with hope. Full investigation into his life, transparency. Abandonment.
I am convinced of Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XIV’s personal sanctity. His entire life will be carefully scrutinized, in order to ascertain heroic virtue. This man was a holy genius. Holy geniuses are few and far between.
Before he became pope, I was a so-so Catholic. As soon as he stepped out on the balcony of St.Peter’s Basilica on the day of his election, I was infused with a love for Jesus Christ and for the papacy. That’s the moment I delved into my Catholic faith with a sincere commitment. Not only did I read as much as I could of his writings, but I read the entire Bible, and entire Catechism of the Catholic Church, in order to be informed and educated about my own faith. This was the “Benedict effect” for me.
I was privileged to scratch the the surface of his opus: thirty-two books of his, and counting. His “Introduction to Christianity” is a recognized masterpiece. He leaves behind him a treasury of Catholic teaching, for generations of theologians to dissect, including all of his homilies and speeches. In fact, his musings on Good Friday, 2005, just before John Paul II’s death, clearly demonstrate that Ratzinger was nothing short of a prophet (reminiscent of St.Pope Paul VI’s prophetic voice in Humanae Vitae), discussing the filth that was in the Church and his comments about the “Dictatorship of Relativism” in his pre-conclave homily before his election as pope.
His quiet and humble demeanor was just one of his personal traits. When my beloved mother, who truly loved and respected him, died, I wrote him a five-page letter, in French (his mastery of French was exquisite, by the way). He wrote me back; I still have his letter (what a gift for me!). His sweet words and compassionate understanding touched me deeply.
I thank God for giving us this Holy Pope. I have no doubt that he will be declared a Doctor of the Church eventually.
Marie Brousseau: Catholic author, essayist, biologist and teacher
Author of “Defending Human Dignity: Catholic Answers to Gender, Abortion and Relativism
mariebrousseau.com
This business with Francis declaring that Benedict supported him and the “legalizing of homosexuality because it is not a heresy” -has to come to a reckoning, it seems to me.
Also to re-emphasize, it is bearing down on Pope Leo.
See references in my comments in the CWR news report on the removal of Bishop Strickland.
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2023/11/11/breaking-pope-francis-relieves-strickland-of-his-duties-as-bishop-of-tyler/
Marie Brosseau above (5:09 p.m.) – Ditto. During JPII’s time, I swallowed the MSM’s slanderous portrayal of Ratzinger/Benedict. How could I have been such a sucker?
Eight days left on the Catechism in a Year!
Cleo above (4:21 am) – I understand exactly what you’re talking about. Secular media set the tone by their subjective narrative. They negatively, and falsely, influenced a lot of people.
They did the same thing with Pope Pius XII. It is essential to get informed through proper sources. For Pius XII, the Jewish community has exonerated him, thanks to numerous documentation of his heroic actions, such as hiding thousands of Rome’s Jewish men, women and children, in convents around the eternal city, and at Castel Gandolfo.
For Benedict, the whole episode of his being enrolled in the “Hitler Youth” was a pernicious attempt to smear his good name. I discuss this very aspect of the subjectivity of MSM, in my essay called “The insidiousness of subjectivity”. I also devote space about Ratzinger’s views on the dictatorship of relativism in my book (Defending Human Dignity).
I have reviewed two of Ratzinger’s works, “The Spirit of the Liturgy” and his timeless “Introduction to Christianity”, on Goodreads (I am also a Goodreads author). I will soon be reviewing another of his masterpieces, “Jesus of Nazareth”, the first in his trilogy on Jesus, which he wrote as Pope Benedict XVI.
I highly recommend all of his writings to everyone: if you want to know this man’s mind, heart and soul, read his books. His autobiography, “Milestone”, was published in 1998:he recounts the first fifty years of his life, covering his childhood in Nazi Germany, forced service in Hitler Youth and the army, his calling to the priesthood, his theological studies, experiences at Vatican II, professorship, and rise in the Church up to 1977, offering deep personal insights into his formation and faith. Another gem is “The Ratzinger Report” (1985), in which he frankly discussed the state of the Church. His interviews with journalist Peter Sewald are also very insightful, especially “Salt of the Earth” (1997).
For insights into the bias of secular media,and other topics, such as “Lying by Omission” and the use of language to distort the truth (“Truth and Language”), you can read my essays which are posted on my Blog page, on my website (mariebrousseau.com), anytime.