Scottish Catholic Observer

One of the Scottish midwives whom the UK Supreme Court ruled cannot conscientiously object to supervising abortions performed on labour wards has told the SCO she is ‘devastated’ by the news.

Mary Doogan said ‘this is a very sad, very dark day for democracy.’

Ms Doogan and Concepta Wood have been in dispute with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for several years. Both women have been midwives for more than 20 years.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday Dec 17 overturns the ruling of the Court of Session in Edinburgh last year to uphold the midwives’ right to conscientiously object to be involved in any way in the abortion process, including their right not to supervise other staff involved.

“I think it’s very serious loss of liberty that everyone should be worried about because it’s a totally cynical attempt to restrict freedom of conscience,” Ms Doogan said.

She has been off work for the last four years due to illness that she said has been caused by the ongoing court case and said she had ‘been to hell and back.’

She said part of the stress of the situation has been caused by the actions of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which she believes has behaved unfairly towards her.

“This has actually been going on for six and a half years,” she said.

The two women then pursued the matter through the NHS grievance system, before it became a legal matter, one which SPUC Scotland and the Catholic community helped them with. More than £400,000 has been raised for legal costs, and the figure grows every day.

“Personally, I think people in higher positions in the NHS are pushing this,” Ms Doogan said. “Initially I think it was a managerial mess, not a plan or a conspiracy, but I think some people at the higher levels do have an ideology to suppress freedom of conscience.”

Ms Doogan also wanted to stress that, as a senior midwife, she was very much involved in the daily activity of the labour ward.

Although she is ‘driven’ by her Catholic Faith she feels this needed to be done for all midwives.

“This issue really does need more attention,” she said. “People are sleepwalking their rights away, but I am very defensive of all my colleagues. Some people in pro-life say they don’t know how anyone could have or perform an abortion but any one of us could do anything given the right environment.

“And it’s very easy for people to get caught up in that culture if they don’t feel they can say no.”

She says her personal future is still uncertain but, although this legal battle appears to have been lost, she is still hopeful.

“I think if there was enough pressure on the Parliament they could be persuaded to look at this and properly protect freedom of conscious,” she said. “That could be the only good thing that comes out of this, if there’s a big enough ground swell of anger and that could be harnessed the law could change.”

— [email protected]

PIC: PAUL McSHERRY

— Read the full version of this story in Dec 26 edition of the SCO in parishes from Christmas Eve.

—Tom Clarke MP to raise conscience issue in UK Parliament, exclusve report in the Dec 26 edition of the SCO in parishes Christmas Eve.