Prescribing Birth Control

[Karoline]

I’m currently training to be a Paediatric Nurse and at the moment I am very drawn towards working as a School Nurse in a Senior School with children aged between 11 - 19.

I would be involved in many different aspects of health care and management but the thing that I am struggling with most is PSVE (Personal, Social and Vocational Education) classes. I would be expected to teach or at least participate in sexual education classes, providing information on contraceptives (including emergency contraceptives but not including NFP), sexual intercourse, STIs, abortion and relationships (including same sex).

I would also be expected to provide emergency contraceptives to young girls who requested them, regardless of whether they are over the age of the consent (16) and would also be asked to prescribe the birth control pill and hand out free condoms, again, regardless of the child’s age and without parental consent. I would also have to speak to girls about all options and outcomes to ending a pregnancy, whether that be requesting an abortion, adoption or raising the child themselves.

Birth control nurse set for all schools

“Another booklet, described as a resource pack for school nurses, suggests they “support young women to access services to make timely choices about emergency contraception, pregnancy or abortion”.”

Schools handing out morning after pill to under-age girls backed by Ofsted

“Morning after pill: Schools handing out contraception to under-age girls have been praised for offering a ‘valuable service’”

I don’t know what to do. I would be required to provide these services and suggest abortion/provide contraceptives to those teenagers who requested them, can I, in good conscience, do this as a part of my job role? I mean a huge part of my job has nothing to do with contraceptives or pregnancy and I would be able to provide girls seeking abortions alternative options. I can refuse to book them in at a hospital for an abortion but I would have to provide them with enough information that they understood the facts and were able to procure one if they so desired, also, acting in the role of a Nurse I would be unable to suggest that my religious views were correct and that they were doing something ‘very wrong’, only that I disagreed with their decision and would pass on their information for another Nurse or Doctor to deal with this for them.

Help/Suggestions?
Thanks.

 

[1ke]

can I, in good conscience, do this as a part of my job role?

No, the types of things you describe cannot be done in good conscience. They are a direct cooperation in moral evil.

I suggest a couple of things:

(1) Get in contact with whatever Catholic health care provider’s network exists in the UK and find a mentor who can give you advice and guidance. There may be other places you can exercise your call into health care that will not require such things. Here’s one I found by Googling:

catholicnurses.org.uk/

This website includes information on employment law and religion. It seems like a really good website, and I’m sure people in this organization would be happy to mentor an up-and-coming Catholic health professional.

(2) Consult a lawyer. I don’t know what the laws in the UK are regarding this, but it pays to know your rights.

(3) Become politically active and work to change things in your country. Know the law. Know how the legislative and representative process works. Watch how those in Parliment who represent you vote. Write to them, make your voice heard.

 

[Prodigal_Son]

I agree with 1ke that the job seems to entail a number of things that you cannot do as a Catholic. My wife is a pediatric nurse, and she manages to sidestep these issues – often lecturing sexually active teenagers, guidelines be damned – but it seems like the role you’re describing will lead to more conflicts.

I would also have to speak to girls about all options and outcomes to ending a pregnancy, whether that be requesting an abortion, adoption or raising the child themselves.

This one is simple, though. There are only two options for ending a pregnancy: 1) successful birth, and 2) unintended miscarriage. Committing murder can hardly be considered an option.

 

[Fergal]

I’m currently training to be a Paediatric Nurse and at the moment I am very drawn towards working as a School Nurse in a Senior School with children aged between 11 - 19.

I would be involved in many different aspects of health care and management but the thing that I am struggling with most is PSVE (Personal, Social and Vocational Education) classes. I would be expected to teach or at least participate in sexual education classes, providing information on contraceptives (including emergency contraceptives but not including NFP), sexual intercourse, STIs, abortion and relationships (including same sex).

I would also be expected to provide emergency contraceptives to young girls who requested them, regardless of whether they are over the age of the consent (16) and would also be asked to prescribe the birth control pill and hand out free condoms, again, regardless of the child’s age and without parental consent. I would also have to speak to girls about all options and outcomes to ending a pregnancy, whether that be requesting an abortion, adoption or raising the child themselves.

Birth control nurse set for all schools

“Another booklet, described as a resource pack for school nurses, suggests they “support young women to access services to make timely choices about emergency contraception, pregnancy or abortion”.”

Schools handing out morning after pill to under-age girls backed by Ofsted

“Morning after pill: Schools handing out contraception to under-age girls have been praised for offering a ‘valuable service’”

I don’t know what to do. I would be required to provide these services and suggest abortion/provide contraceptives to those teenagers who requested them, can I, in good conscience, do this as a part of my job role? I mean a huge part of my job has nothing to do with contraceptives or pregnancy and I would be able to provide girls seeking abortions alternative options. I can refuse to book them in at a hospital for an abortion but I would have to provide them with enough information that they understood the facts and were able to procure one if they so desired, also, acting in the role of a Nurse I would be unable to suggest that my religious views were correct and that they were doing something ‘very wrong’, only that I disagreed with their decision and would pass on their information for another Nurse or Doctor to deal with this for them.

Help/Suggestions?
Thanks.

What about Catholic schools in your area or surrounding your area?

 

[Karoline]

No, the types of things you describe cannot be done in good conscience. They are a direct cooperation in moral evil.

I suggest a couple of things:

(1) Get in contact with whatever Catholic health care provider’s network exists in the UK and find a mentor who can give you advice and guidance. There may be other places you can exercise your call into health care that will not require such things. Here’s one I found by Googling:

catholicnurses.org.uk/

This website includes information on employment law and religion. It seems like a really good website, and I’m sure people in this organization would be happy to mentor an up-and-coming Catholic health professional.

(2) Consult a lawyer. I don’t know what the laws in the UK are regarding this, but it pays to know your rights.

(3) Become politically active and work to change things in your country. Know the law. Know how the legislative and representative process works. Watch how those in Parliment who represent you vote. Write to them, make your voice heard.

Thanks for all of the information, I’ve had a look at that website and will hopefully be in contact with them shortly. I do know what my rights are, there’s something called a ‘conscience clause’ which means that I may not have to directly prescribe birth control or refer girls for an abortion but I cannot stop them, nor counsel them that I feel their decision is wrong, nor inhibit their search for a second opinion from someone who does not have a moral opposition to abortion or birth control. If these things were taken into account would I still be doing something wrong?

This one is simple, though. There are only two options for ending a pregnancy: 1) successful birth, and 2) unintended miscarriage. Committing murder can hardly be considered an option.

Unfortunately it is, and I am not allowed to discount it, I can suggest alternative options and I can say that I am ‘unable to provide them with the information they require’ but I cannot just pretend that abortion doesn’t exist.

What about Catholic schools in your area or surrounding your area?

There’s only 1, and the sum of all of the Catholic children at the school amount to less than 10% of the total school population and only 2 of the actual teaching staff are Catholic, so it is more a Catholic school in name only than anything else from what I have witnessed. (which is sad I may be wrong though as I did not attend that school although I know many who did and have not heard anything good about it.)

 

[1ke]

I think the best course is to get involved with the Catholic healthcare associations available in the UK and get solid answers from them on what you can and cannot do.

If under a conscience clause you can refuse to prescribe contraception or emergency contraception, discuss/recommend contraception, discuss/recommend abortion then I think that you are fine.

 

[bobzills]

I’m currently training to be a Paediatric Nurse and at the moment I am very drawn towards working as a School Nurse in a Senior School with children aged between 11 - 19.

I would be involved in many different aspects of health care and management but the thing that I am struggling with most is PSVE (Personal, Social and Vocational Education) classes. I would be expected to teach or at least participate in sexual education classes, providing information on contraceptives (including emergency contraceptives but not including NFP), sexual intercourse, STIs, abortion and relationships (including same sex).

I would also be expected to provide emergency contraceptives to young girls who requested them, regardless of whether they are over the age of the consent (16) and would also be asked to prescribe the birth control pill and hand out free condoms, again, regardless of the child’s age and without parental consent. I would also have to speak to girls about all options and outcomes to ending a pregnancy, whether that be requesting an abortion, adoption or raising the child themselves.

Birth control nurse set for all schools

“Another booklet, described as a resource pack for school nurses, suggests they “support young women to access services to make timely choices about emergency contraception, pregnancy or abortion”.”

Schools handing out morning after pill to under-age girls backed by Ofsted

“Morning after pill: Schools handing out contraception to under-age girls have been praised for offering a ‘valuable service’”

I don’t know what to do. I would be required to provide these services and suggest abortion/provide contraceptives to those teenagers who requested them, can I, in good conscience, do this as a part of my job role? I mean a huge part of my job has nothing to do with contraceptives or pregnancy and I would be able to provide girls seeking abortions alternative options. I can refuse to book them in at a hospital for an abortion but I would have to provide them with enough information that they understood the facts and were able to procure one if they so desired, also, acting in the role of a Nurse I would be unable to suggest that my religious views were correct and that they were doing something ‘very wrong’, only that I disagreed with their decision and would pass on their information for another Nurse or Doctor to deal with this for them.

Help/Suggestions?
Thanks.

I would recommend you talk to a Catholic priest about this and accept his advice.

 

[Holly3278]

You could be a school nurse at a Catholic school or you could be a nurse at a public school and simply refuse to administer contraception and suggest abortions. It might get you in to trouble but I don’t see how they’d have a Constitutional leg to stand on.