A “small but significant” number of general practitioners in the Republic of Ireland are appealing to the county’s health minister to exempt them from being forced to refer patients to other doctors for abortions, the Irish Independent is reporting.
Ireland is facing a potential shortage of doctors willing to participate in abortions; a March survey of Irish healthcare professionals found that that roughly seven out of 10 general practitioners in Ireland are unwilling to perform abortions.
The Independent reports that the objecting GPs “will require some form of accommodation,” though it is not yet clear how it will be done.
