The HSE’s abortion clinical lead is among speakers billed for a Trinity College medical students’ abortion conference which an Aontú senator has criticised.
Aontú Senator Sarah O’Reilly has criticised the upcoming conference aimed at medical and healthcare students, which will include teaching of clinical skills such as ‘manual vacuum aspiration’.
A medical student, speaking to Gript, raised concerns about the abortion-focused conference being promoted to medical and healthcare students – arguing that it goes beyond teaching the legal or clinical framework for abortion and into practical training in abortion.
It has been advertised to students as an “abortion and reproductive care training day.”
Free transport is being offered to the first ten students registering from universities outside Dublin, including UL, UCC, University of Galway, Queens, and Ulster University.
Senator Sarah O’Reilly said that universities must provide space for a variety of views, including those with ethical or clinical objections to abortion.
“There are students who have a conscientious objection to abortion and who do not wish to take in part in abortion provision at all. The issue I have is that there is no space at 3rd level for these students to discuss the ethical or clinical objections to abortion.
“Pro-life medical students find themselves in a hostile environment where their right to object to abortion is treated as though it’s incompatible with modern medicine.
“Despite attempts to normalise abortion we cannot escape the fact it is the intentional ending of the life of a foetus, as set out in our legislation. Many students chose medicine because they had a passion for saving lives not ending them.
“Are universities providing a space where a variety of views can be discussed and where students can set out the arguments for protection of life? I highly doubt it. There’s nothing to fear from a good debate and diversity of opinions.
“We should not silence voices we disagree with, but I wonder to myself when Trinity plans on hosting a conference for medical students on conscientious objection to abortion.
“We respect the position of doctors who do not provide abortion, and this respect should extend to medical students as well,” she said.
The event is being organised by the Association of Medical Students Ireland (AMSI) and Trinity College Dublin’s Reproductive Society, with the organisers advertising it to medical and healthcare students nationally.
AMSI itself describes itself as a network representing medical students across all eight Irish medical schools.
Its published abortion policy explicitly supports access to abortion and says it does not support conscientious objection where it involves refusing to refer or provide information necessary to access abortion.
The event, advertised as “Ireland’s first abortion and reproductive care student conference” is to take place on Saturday, September 26th at Trinity’s Biomedical Sciences Institute on Pearse Street, Dublin.
The conference advertises practical workshops covering procedures including manual vacuum aspiration, IUD insertion and no-scalpel vasectomy, according to information circulated to students.
The medical student, who asked to remain anonymous because of her concerns about being identifiable within her medical school, said the context in which manual vacuum aspiration was being taught was cause for concern.
Manual vacuum aspiration is a suction procedure which can be used in abortion, but it is also used in miscarriage management.
The HSE describes vacuum aspiration as the surgical abortion procedure used in Ireland and it says it is carried out up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The student said she believed the distinction was important because the procedure was being presented within an explicitly abortion-focused conference.
“I do not object to medical students learning about abortion, because we need to know how to counsel, how to care for patients, and how to manage patients who have complications afterwards,” said the student.
“However, there is a clear distinction between learning about abortion as part of medical education and receiving practical or procedure-focused abortion training.
“My concern, and that of other pro-life students, is about the transition from education about abortion to direct, exposure-oriented training in providing it.” she said.
“As a medical student who holds a pro-life position, I find the contrast within medical education increasingly concerning.
“If medical schools and national student networks are providing space for advocacy and practical education on one side of such a contested and profound ethical issue, there should also be legitimate space for students who hold the opposing position without their beliefs being treated as incompatible with modern medicine.”
The student argued that medical education also has an important role in establishing professional norms.
“Medical education isn’t just giving you factual knowledge. It’s establishing the norm,” she said.
“So if we’re establishing the norm before we’ve even been taught how to care for a normal pregnancy, we’re creating an explicitly abortion-focused professional standard.”
The student also said she believed that the AMSI’s position on conscientious objection could be difficult for medical students with conscious objections to abortion.
She said she believes that students with pro-life views should not be excluded from medicine. Her concern, she said, was whether medical education provided sufficient space for students who hold conscientious objections to abortion.
“I think the formation of the next generation of doctors is the primary question raised by this conference,” she said.
Among the speakers is Dr Aoife Mullally, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and the HSE’s Clinical Lead for Termination of Pregnancy Services and the Medical Director of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), Dr Caitriona Henchion.
Dr Mullally has advocated for the scrapping of the mandatory three-day wait, claiming before an Oireachtas Committee that there was “overwhelming evidence” against the reflection period. She recently described abortion as an “essential element” of HSE healthcare.
Other speakers include Dr Trish Horgan, a GP providing medical abortion, Dr Catherine Conlon, an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity, Maeve Taylor (IFPA), Dr Aoife Foley (IFPA) and consultant urologist Dr John Sullivan.
Back in 2019, the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street sparked controversy when it confirmed that two advertised consultant posts would be available only to doctors willing to carry out abortions.
The NMH had advertised the posts for a consultant anaesthetist and a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology.
It stated that candidates for the positions must be able to carry out patient duties along with teaching, administration and management duties “which as of 2019 includes elective terminations of pregnancy services and the post-holders will be expected to contribute to this new service as part of their practice plan”.
AMSI has been asked about the conference’s programme, speakers, the intended audience, or whether practical training in abortion procedures forms part of the event.
When comtacted by Gript, Trinity College Dublin for clarification on the relationship, if any, between the university and the conference, said:
“This conference is organised by AMSI which is a student association. In general terms, at Trinity, academic freedom is valued as a defining characteristic of the university.
“It includes the freedom, subject to the norms and standards of scholarly inquiry, to conduct research, teach, speak and publish without interference or penalty, no matter where the search for truth and understanding may lead.”