Chch interns refuse abortion duty

Press, 1 February 1984, Page 1

Chch interns refuse abortion duty

About one-fifth of Christchurch’s trainee interns are, because of their religious beliefs, refusing to admit women for abortions at Christchurch Women’s Hospital. A spokesman for the group of about 12 trainee interns, Mr Peter Griffiths, said the hospital had agreed not to roster them for the duty because of stated objections to what they saw as the destruction of human life. He believed it was the first time such a large group of medical students had refused to admit women for abortions.

“It is just an administrative thing, really,” he said. However, Mr Griffiths said it could cause problems if several of those objecting worked at Christchurch Women’s Hospital at the same time. Trainee interns were rostered through the hospital in groups of five. “It was something we had to discuss a lot because there is a possibility it could have repercussions on our careers,” he said. “But we decided it was something we felt strongly about.” The admission of patients who had obtained a consultants’ certificate stating that there were grounds for an

abortion was an integral part of the procedure. The hospital tutor specialist, Dr J. D. Tait, said that other trainee interns and house surgeons would be able to handle admissions so that there would not be a real problem. “It does put an extra strain on the hospital obviously but you cannot penalise people, either the patients or the staff, if they do not want to do it,” he said. Trainee interns and house surgeons were rostered on duty two days each week to admit women for abortions. The patients then returned

the next day for the operation. Senior hospital staff said last August that the abortion service could break down because of staff resentment. The North Canterbury Hospital Board has repeatedly pressed the Government for funds to establish a freestanding abortion clinic in the grounds of Coronation Hospital to ease a growing strain on other hospital services. Mr Griffiths said that nurses, house surgeons, and other more senior staff had objected to any involvement in handling abortion cases

in the past but had been told they “just had to do it.” The hospital’s superintendent, Mr Hamish McCrostie, said the abortion service had run on a “knife edge” for some time. It was held together by the surgeon who performed 90 per cent of the operations. He said public opinion was swinging against abortion but the trainee interns were not essential to providing hospital services. “It is a chronic state of affairs for most members of staff,” Mr McCrostie said. “Lots of the staff do not want to have anything to do with abortions and don’t.”