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TWO MIDWIVES WHO do not want to partake in any abortion services in the UK have been told they must still delegate, supervise and support other staff.
The ruling was made by the UK’s highest court today, overruling a previous judgement that found in favour of the nurses.
Concepta Wood and Mary Doogan are both conscientious objectors and have been labelled in the British media as “Catholic midwives” since they began their legal challenge seven years ago.
They were employed as labour ward co-ordinators at a hospital in Glasgow and had won a court case in Edinburgh (after an initial appeal).
But in its own appeal, the health board in the UK argued that the women only had the right to refuse to take part in activities that directly end a pregnancy. NHS
Four judges of the Supreme Court in London unanimously agreed with that argument today, saying they are not entitled to refuse to delegate, supervise and support staff involved in the treatment and care to patients undergoing abortions.
The decision has been condemned by pro-life group SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) which paid for the midwives’ legal costs.
“We are both saddened and extremely disappointed with today’s verdict from the Supreme Court and can only imagine the subsequent detrimental consequences that will result from today’s decision on staff of conscience throughout the UK,” the organisation said.
“Despite it having been recognised that the number of abortions on the labour ward at our hospital is in fact a tiny percentage of the workload, which in turn could allow the accommodation of conscientious objection with minimal effort, this judgment, with its constraints and narrow interpretation, has resulted in the provision of a conscience clause which now in practice is meaningless for senior midwives on a labour ward.”
General secretary Paul Tully added that midwives with conscientious objections are forced to leave the professions and their careers.
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Hopefully they find the dirt that did this!
Accidents happen and we don’t know the facts of how this happened or who was to blame whether it be the driver or the deceased but it takes a certain type of low life to leave a man to die on the road and for that I hope they are caught and receive a befitting punishment.
They really need to change the laws around hit and runs, they are far far too lax,
Should be a min sentence of 5 or 10years for leaving the scene and
I got knocked down while walking home from a pub one night .i was 20yards from my home the guy that knocked me down walked me home told me he would call to me in morn ” after he sobered up ” next thing I knew the guards were at my house at 11 am to take a statement and to look where it happened he brought me to court for bursting up front of his car I was fined 120 pounds for obstructing traffic or 1 month in jail he got off scot free cos he knew d guards I was off work for 6 mths after cos I cud barly walk some justice system in this country my arse. Jail would b too gud for these people.
Think you told that story before, the name and some of the facts have changed though
Sorry but I haven’t told that story before. Might have happened to someone else as well .
Disgusting , leaving the scene, cruel to do it to an animal. If the person responsible is found I hope they are charged with manslaughter .
Anyone not wearing a high visibility at night while walking the roads at night should be fined, an innocent driver who hits someone in dark clothing at night is automatically branded in the wrong.
If the driver was innocent which could be quite likely they should have stopped…I know fear may have struck them but coming forward the next day would have been something. Cowarding away only increases the doubts of guilt
They drove off after hitting him. That IS automatically in the wrong.
Leaving the scene is inexcusable.
People shouldn’t drink and drive this guy was drunk cos I saw him that night in my local drinking so havin a highvis on or not he was in the wrong when u get hit by a car come back and talk to me god lad.
There is not much care on the roads up there. Too many hit & runs, many of them our northern drivers who don’t give a crap (sometimes).
To be fair that is a gross generalisation…be like saying all people ‘down there’ in limerick are druggies….the fact is no theyre not nor are all Northern drivers hoping the border to drive recklessly
The poor woman, discovering her dead husband. This is around the corner from my cousin’s house.
Also, that’s not how you spell Boynagh.
have your say