(CNA) – Pro-life doctors have gone to court to challenge new medical guidelines that require doctors to advise patients who have doubts about continuing a pregnancy that abortion is one of their options. One of the doctors challenging the guidelines is believed to be Mary English, a General Practitioner from Wellington and the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Bill English.
According to The New Zealand Herald, Dr English is a Catholic whose
opposition to abortion is widely known. She and her husband have six
children.
The doctors filed an application in the country’s High Court concerning
the New Zealand Medical Council guidelines, which are titled “Beliefs
and Medical Practice.”
The current guidelines note that the law allows doctors to
conscientiously refuse to provide a service or give advice on
contraception, sterilisation or “other reproductive health services.”
The proposed guideline reads: “While the council recognises that you
are entitled to hold your own beliefs, it remains your responsibility
to ensure that a pregnant woman who comes to you for medical care and
expresses doubt about continuing with the pregnancy is provided with or
is offered access to objective information or assistance to enable her
to make informed decisions on all available options for her pregnancy,
including termination.”
According to The New Zealand Herald, the final version of the document
is not available. A spokesman for the Medical Council said changes have
been made since the release of the draft but the final text cannot be
provided because of the ongoing court action.
The case marks the first time the issue of personal beliefs and
abortion has been addressed in Medical Council guidelines. The action
follows a similar move in Britain.
Guidelines also cover areas where spiritual, cultural or religious
beliefs could conflict with what the Council considers to be patients’
rights. The rules say doctors should set aside their own beliefs where
necessary and must make the care of the patient their first concern.
Under New Zealand law, abortions can be performed only if two
certifying consultants agree certain factors are present. According to
the Herald, these factors include cases of incest or if the mental or
physical well-being of the mother or unborn child is at risk.
The country’s Abortion Supervisory Committee appoints the consultants
who authorise abortions to take place. Pro-life groups and a High Court
judge have questioned the legality of many of these authorised
abortions.