At their Spring 2019 General Meeting in Maynooth, which concluded on Wednesday 13 March, Bishops noted with regret the pre-conditions for applicants listed in the recent advertisement for a post of a Consultant in Obstetrics/Gynaecology and for a post of Consultant in Anaesthesia at the National Maternity Hospital on Holles Street in Dublin.
The bishops said, “One of the main preconditions for all applicants is a requirement to carry out elective abortions if appointed. Bishops consider that this precondition runs totally counter to a doctor’s constitutional and human right to freedom of conscience.
“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. 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. This totally undermines the whole concept of freedom of conscience which was guaranteed in the recent legislation.”
“The consequence for the entire training and recruitment of doctors to work in these positions in hospitals in Ireland is greatly undermined by these advertisements.”
ENDS
