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(Editorial) Conscience, virtue, integrity and medical ethics

Journal of Medical Ethics

Extract
. . . Conscience, for example, turns out to be an ambiguous concept. On the one hand is the concept of an unthinking but morally controlling force within us telling us what we should do and not do. . . The second concept of conscience corresponds to the . . . corresponds to many analyses of conscience in the theological and philosophical literature in which conscience is an essentially rational faculty . . . Thus it is immediately clear that claims for the adequacy of a good conscience for medical ethics must make clear which of these two concepts of conscience is intended. . . .

JME. (Editorial) Conscience, virtue, integrity and medical ethics. J Med Ethics. 1984 Dec;10(4):171-172.

(Correspondence) Abortion denied – outcome of mothers and babies

Carlos Del Campo

Canadian Medical Association Journal, CMAJ — Canadian Medical Association Journal

Extract
The Aberdeen study examined the cases of 300 women applying for abortions, of which 60% were approved; approximately 120 women were denied abortion. This number would constitute only 1.9% of the 6323 cases in my survey. Furthermore, if they had been included the results would remain statistically unchanged. . . Dr. Watters states that I was “very selective in examining the work done in Czechoslovakia” and cites the work of Matejcek and colleagues.3 I direct Dr. Watters’ attention to reference 11 in my survey, in which this work is cited. This was Dr. Matejcek and colleagues’ original publication on the same group of patients; furthermore, they published a more recent follow-up study, in which their original findings remained basically unchanged. To base a therapeutic approach toward women with unwanted pregnancies on the evidence quoted by Dr. Watters and to ignore the massive evidence presented in my survey would be unacceptable.

Campo CD. (Correspondence) Abortion denied – outcome of mothers and babies. Can Med Assoc J. 1984 Sep 15;131(6):546-548.

(Correspondence) Abortion denied – outcome of mothers and babies

Wendell W Watters

Extract
Apparently Dr. Carlos Del Campo (Can Med Assoc J 1984; 130: 361, 362, 366) consulted only a small portion of the literature in concluding that it shows “no evidence that a continued unwanted pregnancy will endanger the mother’s mental health”. He ignored the Aberdeen study, . . .Dr. Del Campo was very selective in examining the work done in Czechoslovakia. . . the conclusion to be drawn from these studies is that termination of an unwanted pregnancy is likely to be beneficial to a woman’s mental health if it is her choice to exercise this option, whereas mandatory motherhood is likely to be harmful to her mental health. This conclusion is consistent with my clinical experience of 20 years in working with couples and families, as it is with that of many other family psychiatrists.

Watters WW. (Correspondence) Abortion denied – outcome of mothers and babies. Can Med Assoc J. 1984 May 15;130(10):1264, 1266.

(Editorial) Abortion denied – outcome of mothers and babies

Carlos Del Campo

Extract
The children of women who have been denied an abortion are at risk of certain disadvantages, but such problems could be alleviated by better adoption and social programs. Since well educated women have the most “liberal” attitudes towards abortion’4 and are the least likely to have economic reasons for wanting an abortion, programs to prevent abortion should be directed towards changing their attitudes. Also, women who have been denied abortion should be followed up, both for the child’s sake and to prevent further requests for abortion.

Campo CD. (Editorial) Abortion denied – outcome of mothers and babies. Can Med Assoc J. 1984 Feb 15;130(4):361-362, 366.