Bernard M Dickens
Abstract not available
Dickens BM. The ‘conscience clause’ and the law on abortion. Nurs Times. 1974;70(25):968-969
Category: Nursing
(Editorial) Issues of Conscience
Thelma M Schorr
Extract
The reality of the situation is that since 1966, with the liberalization of abortion laws in a number of states, the number of abortion patients has been steadily increasing. This means that an increasing number of patients will seek care that most nurses have not been educated to render. . . . There are many nurses who see an abortion as an unconscionable act, and certainly they should never be placed in the position of having to nurse patients who have chosen to have their pregnancy terminated. Just as a patient’s freedom to choose must be respected, so must a nurse’s. But it is also that nurse’s responsibility to protect both the patient’s freedom and her own by refusing to work in a situation which she finds morally offensive.
Schorr TM. (Editorial) Issues of Conscience. Am J Nurs. 1972 Jan;72(1):61.