GP body to respond to call for EGM to discus abortion legislation
The Irish College of General Practitioners will respond later today to a call for an extraordinary general meeting to discuss GPs’ concerns about providing abortion services.
The ICGP, the representative organisation on education, training, and standards in general practice, received a petition signed by hundreds of GPs last week.
Doctors have called for a change of the organisation’s policy regarding terminations, and have proposed a number of motions for discussion.
One motion states routine general practice is not the appropriate setting for the provision of an abortion service and that external clinical settings would be more appropriate.
Another motion urges the ICGP to adopt an opt-in system whereby GPs wanting to provide abortion services receive adequate training, are sustained in their competence, and can be subjected to audit.
A third motion urges the college to support the right of all doctors to exercise freedom of conscience, with no obligation to refer patients for a termination.
The GPs who requested the EGM included doctors who voted yes in the recent referendum on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.
Around 350 GPs have signed the petition. According to the college’s rules, a minimum of 10% of members of “good standing” must sign an EGM request.
The college said due process needed to be followed including the validation of the names attached to the EGM request.
The board of the ICGP held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss its response to the request for an EGM to discuss terminations.
A spokesperson for the college said the board would issue a statement on its position this evening.
The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018 to provide for, and regulate, the termination of pregnancy will be discussed by the Dáil next week.
Doctors who signed the petition claim the Government never took the time to consult GPs when they voiced genuine freedom-of-conscience concerns.
They also said the petition highlighted the failure of the ICGP board to properly represent its members.
