Abortion Care Guidelines Published

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Friday May 07, 2004 15:39

by DFC - Docters For Choice

info at doctorsforchoice dot org

Doctors For Choice PO Box 6862, Dublin 2

Doctors For Choice in Ireland have published a guide to clinical practice
for GP's, and other interested doctors, on the management of the abortion
patient in Ireland. This is the first such guide published in this country.

Doctors For Choice in Ireland have published a guide to clinical practice
for GP's, and other interested doctors, on the management of the abortion
patient in Ireland. This is the first such guide published in this country.
Doctors For Choice is a voluntary group of doctors from all around Ireland,
striving to make comprehensive reproductive health services, including
contraception and abortion , available in Ireland. The published guidelines
are aimed at general practitioners (family doctors) and other doctors who experience the clinical management
of the abortion patient in their practice. It exists in the context of the legal ban
on abortion, the need for the patient to travel, the constitutiona and Medical
Council positions on abortion, and the Information Act (1995) which forbids direct
referral of patients for abortion.

The guide offers experienced advice on the current legal situation,
discusses reasons why patients seeking abortion can tend to avoid doctors,
encourages doctors to be confident in providing care for abortion patients.
It contains practical advice on such issues as the clinical consultation, physical
examination of a patient, counselling, information which can be legally given, how to
write a letter for a patient seeking an abortion, referral possibilities,
possible complications and sequelae, and post abortion care. It also
contains a chapter detailing the various medical and surgical procedures
available to Irish women seeking abortion generally in England, and special considerations such
as foetal anomaly and teenagers who are under-age for consent. The guide
provides lists of useful contacts, and recommends reliable and ethical
abortion counselling agencies which are approved by pro-choice doctors, and
guidelines from the Crisis Pregnancy Agency.

Copies of the Doctors For Choice : Guidelines for Management of The Abortion
Patient in Ireland can be obtained from Doctors For Choice PO Box 6862,
Dublin 2, or emailing [email protected]

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Urgent Alert From Eleanor Smeal

by pat c

Tue May 11, 2004 16:38

Reply To: [email protected]

Subject: Urgent Alert From Eleanor Smeal
Sent: Saturday, May 8, 2004 1:39 AM
Dear Feminists,

In a last-ditch effort, we tried to stop the FDA from rejecting over-the-counter status for emergency contraception.

Outrageously, after more than one million of us Marched for Women’s Lives in Washington, DC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) late Thursday decided to reject over-the-counter status for emergency contraception. We must now make our voices heard once again expressing our anger that the FDA has allowed right-wing politics to trump women’s health.

The FDA sent a letter late Thursday night to Barr Laboratories, the distributors of the emergency contraceptive Plan B, rejecting its application for over-the-counter status for the drug. This decision is despite the fact that the FDA’s own expert advisory panels voted 23-4 in favor of making Plan B available over the counter. The FDA, however, left the door open and said Barr Laboratories could apply again if they provide evidence that Plan B is safe for young women under 16 or if they provide a two-tier marketing plan that would only allow over-the-counter status for women 16 years of age or older.

Right-wing groups and anti-reproductive rights members of Congress have been pressuring the FDA to reject approval of over-the-counter status. Medical research has overwhelmingly demonstrated the safety, efficacy, and need for emergency contraception over the counter.

We cannot allow anti-reproductive rights extremists to get away with taking this women’s health and public health breakthrough product away from women seeking to avoid unintended pregnancy. It is imperative that we send thousands of messages to the FDA expressing our outrage that it has succumbed to political pressure and rejected approval for Plan B over the counter.

We urge you to send this critical alert to all of your friends and family. Together, we can make a difference.

For Women's Lives,

Ellie Smeal, President
Beth Jordan, M.D., Medical Director

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